


Riftwalker I

by mistressterably



Series: Riftwalker [1]
Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Lesbian Sex, Multi, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-05
Updated: 2018-01-02
Packaged: 2018-05-31 09:05:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 31,678
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6464245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistressterably/pseuds/mistressterably
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which we learn the origins of Ciaran Boyd, Riftwalker.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Ciaran had turned 14 years old just a few months before her life changed dramatically. That day came when she learned at a very great cost that she could walk the space time rift. She had been an ordinary person until that day. The day that she wound up destroying her family and beginning her journey through the universe. The argument between her and her brother had been normal enough. Except that it took place in the basement of the house, on the exact spot where Ciaran had both been conceived and had been born. And on that fateful day, during that normal argument, her hormones went into overdrive as puberty began. In that spot at that time, her power flared into being and the rift opened in a great white flash of electric energy and grew until it swallowed her brother. Her brother, however, became only the first victim as the rift energy pulsed around him. Every atom of his body was turned to ash and then even the ash itself was consumed. The noise drew both her parents to the basement but Ciaran was unable to control the energy and it continued to grow and then her parents were swallowed up as well. In a panic, she stood frozen to the spot and the light engulfed Ciaran. Instead of her own death she found herself in a strange place, a strange world at the other end of a rift path for the first time. 

The sky was orange, the air was thicker with a metallic tang to it. Where she would have heard the sound of birdsong there was a different song in the air that was harsher to her ears. Her eyes were drawn to the sky where there hung the daylight glow of two moons of smaller size than the moon she was accustomed to in the sky. Ciaran's grief was at war with the wonder of the world she found herself standing in. 'What? Where am I?' Her voice sounded alien to her as she turned about on the spot. 

A stranger's voice answered her but she couldn't understand a word they were saying. It was a foreign language but then her brain corrected her, it was an alien language. She turned to face them, the person was humanoid with some distinctly different bone structure. The person was male, or she thought he was male, and smiled gently, holding out a hand to calm her. His gestures prompted her to follow him. The man led her to what she would describe as a farmhouse with a stable of smaller animals. Two young men ran out at their approach but stopped quickly at the sight of her. A woman emerged and words were exchanged. The woman was equally as gentle and welcoming and Ciaran found herself accepting their offer to join them. 

And that was how Ciaran wound up living on a different planet in a far distant part of the universe away from where Earth was located, learning how to live in a new world, thinking in a new way and using a new language that had no similarities to any on Earth. The first planet of many to come. Her stay in this new world lasted 5 years and over those years she learned how to control the rift with her mind, getting to learn how to read the map she saw in her mind of the rift. When she turned 19, Ciaran decided it was time to move on. 

Planets of gloom, planets of wonder and beauty, others fraught with danger, she could sense them all as she opened the rift with her mind. Testing the limits of her abilities, Ciaran traveled from planet to planet exploring all she could. Many of them had little to no life on them, so she quickly moved on from them. After some weeks of exploring, Ciaran found herself on another advanced planet, this one not a farming community but what she thought of as a city. She quickly managed to steal clothing that would allow her to blend in and her ability to learn the language swiftly helped her further. In a short time, she found herself established once more and living at least tolerably well amongst the population. Ciaran learned that the society here was monarchical but a benevolent one with an established hierarchy of officials that were hereditary positions. Getting a job with one of the highest placed families turned out to be easy. 

After 6 months, Ciaran was truly settled in her employment and was a regular face found in the central palace of the district. The ruling family treated all of the workers well and they were wealthy but not greedy. In her daily routine, Ciaran often found herself assisting others in the main apartments where the royal Princess and her brothers, the Princes, would gather to attend to their official duties of listening to citizen concerns and arguments. The Princes were training to become the next judiciary and the Princess was learning the skills of becoming head of citizen welfare. The Princess' role would become the Queen and the keeper of the royal lineage whereas the Princes' would branch out to marry other noble families' daughters. Over the days, she found her attention drawn all the time to the Princess, Treivyanna An'chilian. Her long hair was a deep golden yellow, deep blue eyes and her skin was tanned gold and Ciaran was becoming more entranced every day she saw the Princess. Her thoughts about the Princess were kept to herself until one momentous day when the Princess summoned Ciaran to the private audience chamber. 

'Lady Ciaran,' Princess Treivyanna sat in chair of state and formally addressed Ciaran, who bowed appropriately. 

'It is merely Ciaran, my Princess. I'm no noble. I'm merely a worker in a noble family's employ here to help them in their duties. I am incredibly honoured that you address me.'

'You have intrigued me, Ciaran.' Her small, slender fingers seemed to stroke the wood-carved arm as if it were skin. 'Your features are just slightly different from all others. Your eyes shine more brightly. Your movements and your words are as like an accent of one from another landmass. And now you tell me you're not of the nobility.' 

'I beg pardon for offending you, my Princess. I've only ever sought to attend my duties for your benefit.' Ciaran knelt on one knee before her, eyes lowered. Expectation of her dismissal ran through her head and heart. It had only been a matter of time before she would have to move on to the next planet. 

'Presumptive.' The royal woman said sharply. 'At what point did I say I had been offended. Would you dare to read my thoughts?'

'I apologize, my Princess. I know I am different and not to the same standard of others that surround you.' Ciaran bent lower in her presence. 'I shall leave your presence immediately upon your command.'

'Again with presumption.' The Princess stood and Ciaran could only see the feet of the other attendants in the room walking away and the sound of the doors closing. 'A princess does not need to request a private audience for the simple dismissal of an employed person.'

'Forgive me, my Princess.'

'You are a stranger to my country, aren't you?' The Princess had moved silently to stand directly in front of Ciaran so that all she could see were the silken, soft blue hems of her robes and the barest glance of a deeper blue pair of slippers. 

'I am.' Ciaran unconsciously dropped the honorific normally used.

'I thought so. Many others wouldn't notice but I'm surrounded constantly by refined and polished persons. Any difference, even slight is obvious to me. And you,' the Princess' tone hardened. 'have not been given leave to forgo formality in my presence.'

'My Princess.' Ciaran corrected herself. 

'That is better. I am the Princess and I am to be the next Queen of An'chilian. Protocols are in progress for my marriage in one year's time and within five years my ascension will be complete. The court have been waiting on my choice.'

'Your choice?' Ciaran looked up, slightly confused. Catching herself she added, 'My Princess.'

'Yes, you are a stranger. Else you would know what I was talking about. Then again, it has been a long time since there's been a Royal consort in the court. My parents, their parents, and their parents before them had not chosen consorts. The longest time ever with none chosen. I am invoking that right of choice as has my Lord Partner to be.' Princess Treivyanna stepped silently back to her seat, sitting down again. 'Rise.' Ciaran stood but drew her gaze back to the floor in deference. 'Do you understand yet?'

Ciaran looked up at the questioning tone, trying to process what the Princess had been telling her. 'A consort?'

'Yes. You've only spent most of your time in my presence staring at me. I've had enough lovers to know the signs.' The Princess didn't bother to correct Ciaran's lack of respectful address.

'I admire you as all would admire you.' Ciaran tried to look directly in the Princess' eyes but couldn't maintain her gaze for long. 

'Not everyone admires me as if they are undressing me.' 

Ciaran cleared her throat. 'My Princess, I would not dare.'

'You have and you still do. Why else would I think of choosing you.' Princess Treivyanna smiled. 'You may decline if you wish but before you do I would at least ask that you consider the possibility.'

Ciaran didn't move, didn't dare breathe, for a few long moments. 'Sorry, if I'm understanding you, you want me to be your consort? That means your lover?' 

The Princess' laugh was genuine and soft. 'That is precisely what I am asking, Ciaran. I have been impressed by your abilities and you are incredibly pleasant to look at.' Nervously, Ciaran looked around the room but couldn't bring herself to look at the Princess. Again the soft laugh. 'As I said, you may think over the possibility but I will only wait for an answer so long. Go, request audience with me in the next few days with your answer. Take too long and I will see that as your answer as being no.' Now the Princess looked slightly shy, 'I do hope that your answer will be a yes.' Ciaran couldn't speak for the time and the Princess clapped her hands to have her attendants return. They stepped quietly into the room again and then accompanied the Princess out of the audience chamber and towards the private rooms. 

Ciaran turned and left the chamber and, in a daze, returned to her humble rooms in the city. Once in the safety of her home, she found her hands shaking. Had that actually happened? To her? 

@@@@@  
The next day, the Princess was only partially attentive to her duties throughout the morning audience. At the midday rest, she sat with the Princes' to casually eat and talk about family affairs. One of her attendants respectfully requested to approach and her nod saw her attendant approach. 'The Lady Ciaran has begged leave to speak with you.'

'Excellent. At end of the day, see to it that she is escorted to my private apartments. See to it that there are sufficient refreshments for two for the full evening.' The Princess let a smile crease her face. Her brothers laughed in amusement. 

'It's taken you long enough to ask.' Her older brother teased. 'You've been wanting an answer for months to an unasked question.'

'Do stop,' The Princess chided him. 'We only know that I am to get an answer, what the answer is remains unknown.'

'The Lady Ciaran would be a great fool to say no, sister.' Her younger brother commented. 'And so very exotic. You're making an excellent choice.'

'Back to work for all of us,' the older Prince said. 'Do you think you'll manage the long afternoon, sister?'

'I shall,' She straightened her robes and, attendants with her, she led them from their break and back to the public audience chambers.

@@@@@

Ciaran found it hard to keep to her tasks throughout the whole day, but it was even worse once she had passed on her request to have a private audience with the Princess. Making it worse was the fact that it seemed that her duties that day brought her closer to the Princess than usual and she daren't make eye contact. Ciaran had made an effort to wear her best clothes that she owned and had left early to stop at a local salon for a quick hair cut. The audience period ended and Ciaran was approached by an attendant and was led through the halls to the private apartments wing. They walked in silence, the attendant not accustomed to making small talk and Ciaran too nervous to even try to speak. 

Princess Treivyanna had retired to her apartment and changed from her formal dress to a more casual teal over-robe and a pale silken blue under-dress with matching pair of slippers on her feet. An excitement and a touch of nerves made her stomach a little jumpy. The choice of a consort was not taken lightly within the royal family and she had spent many evenings pondering her decision. A soft knock on the door from the attendant prompted the Princess to sit up in her chair straighter and more formally than she would normally in her private rooms. A smile lit up her face as the door opened and Ciaran stepped in. The attendant waited for the Princess' brief nod before backing out of the room, closing the door. No attendants remained in the room. 'Please, have a seat.' She gestured to the chair beside hers but slightly angled so that they would be able to easily talk together. The table between the two chairs had been laden with light refreshments for two with drinks. Ciaran tentatively picked up a bite-sized pastry and started to eat it, trying to eat as neatly as she could. 'You seem to have had a difficult day, today. You appeared to be rather uneasy. You didn't need to wait till the end of the day.'

'I wouldn't have interrupted your day, my Princess. You are busy after all.' Ciaran had to quickly swallow the rest of the pastry before answering. 'I've been trying to figure out how to answer you since last night.'

'Please, no formalities. There are no others here to witness our conversation.'

'Shouldn't there be?" Ciaran asked. 'Sorry, I'm not too familiar with the protocols, Princess.' Her shyness was going into overdrive. 

'The choice of a consort is a private decision. It is formalized afterwards as there are some general rules that are established. They aren't critical to the choices themselves. The only rule that has any impact is the gender. As a Princess I am only able to choose another woman as a consort. My partner to be has the option to choose a male consort. Which I believe he has already done.'

'Oh.' Ciaran looked a bit flustered. 

'It is why I am choosing one myself. I enter into the partnership fully aware of his preference and he aware of mine. It is why our partnership has been arranged. Our relationship will be for two purposes only, lineage and public works. Private pleasures are our individual choices. These situations were formalized many generations ago to provide stability amongst the royal family. It has worked very successfully.'

'So I would be a private lover for you to play with?' Ciaran clarified for her own understanding.

'Not private. You would be publicly known and accepted as my consort. Affection between us in public is not frowned upon. If you prefer it only be in private that is fine as well. We would establish our own preferences between us as to how public we wish to be.' Princess Treivyanna delicately picked up a pastry and nibbled on it just as delicately. 

'This is all pretty sudden, my Princess.' Ciaran was nervously picking at the hem of her top. 'I mean, I'll admit that I think you're very beautiful and, ah, yes I have thought about you in a, erm, intimate manner. To think that I'd ever do anything with you, I would never have dreamed it.' Ciaran looked up from her nervous fingers. 'Princess, I'm... ' Ciaran tried to stop her foot from fidgeting. Her eyes locked onto the Princess' gaze. 'I'm an alien. I'm not just from one of the other landmasses. I'm from a different planet. I don't think you can even see the star that my home planet orbits.' The truth spilled from Ciaran. 'I'd sincerely love to be your consort for as long as possible but I just don't know if it would be a good idea for myself or for your position as the next Queen of your country.'

The Princess sat in silence at her exotic stranger's admissions and then the smile grew wider. 'And here my brother just thought you were exotic looking. I would call you uniquely exotic, inside and out, knowing this.' She lightly licked her lips. 'I am glad that you would wish to be my consort. My choice is made and you have accepted.'

Ciaran froze, her eyes wide and her lips parted. 'What?'

'We have both chosen. Formalities will be arranged in due course.' The Princess took another pastry in her fingers and offered it to Ciaran. 

'How can this work? I'm from a different world. If others found out about this, won't they object?' 

'It actually makes my choice even better. The reason for the same gender is to ensure the reliability of the lineage. Being an alien means that the lineage has an even higher than 100 per cent security. Not that it has any bearing on the choice.' She gestured with her fingers for Ciaran to take the pastry from her which Ciaran did and ate it. 'Of course, it does lead me to question that a physical relationship would be similar to one of my fellow country women.' 

'Ah, yes.' Ciaran's cheeks reddened, answering the Princess' curiosity as to whether Ciaran had had prior relations with women. 'Little difference, well... really no difference at all. Well, there's a slight difference in sensitive spots. Easy to work out.' Ciaran blurted it all out in a rush before she took another pastry and started chewing it. 

'I look forward to learning the differences.' The Princess leaned forward towards Ciaran, reaching over to take her stronger hands lightly in her slender grasp. 'In private, please do not use my title. My family call my Treivyanna. I would like it if you called me Treia when it's just you and I.'

'Treia.' Ciaran spoke her intimate name aloud for the first time and she felt a slight tremble in her heart. 'You can call me Cee.'

'Cee.' The Princess whispered her name as her fingers stroked the back of Cee's hands. 'I like that. So very soft a name. Softer than your hands. Is the rest of your skin like your hands?'

'No. I've always earned my keep with my hands. Hard work, hard hands.' 

'Good. I can honestly say that my hands are not hard working ones but that doesn't mean they won't work on you.' Treia's eyes shone with mischief. Cee shifted nervously in her chair at the gaze. 'There's no rush now, Cee. We can take things as they come between us. This would be what others would call a first meeting.'

'Oh. Right.' Cee sat back a little. 'Right. So, how does this go then? I just let one of the attendants know when I'd like to visit?' 

A soft laugh escaped Treia's lips. 'No, no. You'll have freedom of access to most areas of the private apartments now. You'll be shown where you may and may not go. Obviously the areas that are my other family members will be off limits until such time as my family opts to invite you. My apartments are yours now for whenever you wish to be with me. If you wish to remain in your own home and join me at times you may, if you wish to move in for longer periods, you will be just as welcome. These are things that we work out between us as our relationship grows.' 

Cee gazed into Treia's eyes, her brain was processing everything. Treia's eyes were penetrating but in a loving manner. 'I don't think I want to leave.'

'I don't want you to leave either.' Treia's hands squeezed Cee's tightly. They both leaned forward at the same time, kissing for the first time. Slowly and tentatively at first but they quickly found each other eager for more. The past months of watching one another and fantasizing about the other had really been the initial building of their feelings for one another. At first, they were equal in their desires and then, where Cee had initially thought that the Princess would be the one to remain in control, there was a subtle shift in the dynamic. Cee took over. She wasn't dominant but the one who directed their movements. Cee's hands grasped Treia's and pulled her forward, away from her chair and onto her lap. Rougher hands twined through the long golden hair of her new lover, bringing her closer and allowing Cee to kiss her more passionately. Treia seemed to melt into Cee's arms and lips. The Princess ceded control of her emotions and her body to her new alien lover.

Gasping slightly for air from their passionate kiss, Cee pulled away finally from Treia's soft lips but left her fingers to stroke her cheek and jaws. 'You are definitely as soft as I imagined you would be.' She kissed Treia lightly on the lips a few times before speaking again. 'I hope I can live up to your expectations of a consort.'

'You are already exceeding them.' Treia answered huskily. 'I hadn't thought you'd wish to be this intimate so soon.' 

'You're right. First meeting and all.' Cee didn't stop stroking Treia's face as she spoke. 'Really should take things slow.' Her fingers danced over the golden skin of Treia's neck to trace along the edge of her robe as it dipped down towards her breasts. Cee licked her lips as she kept her movements slow, tugging at the drawstring of Treia's over-robe. 'You want to take things slow, right?'

'Slow,' Treia breathed the word as her heart was doing the exact opposite. Cee tilted slightly and began to kiss Treia's neck with the same slow deliberate motion. Gold, slender fingers laid atop Cee's larger fingers to direct their touch lower towards Treia's small, rounded breasts. 'Slow will be for other nights I think.' Treia finally said as her hand pressed Cee's hand firmly against her left breast, her hard nipple pressing through the silk fabric against Cee's palm. Treia then took hold of Cee's other hand and pressed it to her right breast. 'Tonight, I would rather not take things slowly.' 

'Good. Because right now, I don't think I could be.' Cee answered and quickly dropped her hands to untie both her robes and slide the fabric open. 'Damn.' Cee breathed the word as she gazed at Treia's body for just a moment before lowering her lips to one of the brown skinned nipples to suck on it gently. Treia's hand went to the back of Cee's head, grasped her shorter dark brown hair and pressed her mouth closer. The dresses were slid off her shoulders and allowed to drop away, kept from falling to the floor only because they were trapped between them on Cee's lap. Cee knew the most sensitive spots on the princess' breasts just under the nipples by instinct and kissed them with her lips, darting her tongue out to tease the aroused nerves there, thrilled by her lover's gasping reaction. Cee's hands slid round Treia's golden body to trace her fingertips down her lower spine. Treia shifted her body to fully straddle Cee's legs. The dresses fell to the floor, leaving her completely naked on Cee's lap. She wasn't content being the only one naked and, even as Cee continued to kiss her breasts, Treia reached down and grasped Cee's top to pull it up, breaking Cee's contact for just the briefest of moments to free her of the clothing, casually tossing the top away to let it land on the floor away from them. 

Treia drew Cee's attention from her breasts to kiss her deeply on the mouth, pressing their naked chests together. Treia's hard nipples thrust against the larger, lighter skinned, more full breasts of Cee. They were both incredibly aroused now but Cee was able to thrill Treia even more by sliding her hands from behind her back and over her stomach, urging her thighs to part further. Rough fingers slid between Treia's legs and spread her apart, exposing her to the cool air. Treia closed her eyes and arched her back at the sensation of Cee's fingers sliding along her wet private parts. Cee's lips and tongue continued to find the sensitive spots around her nipples at the same time as her fingers explored until they pressed inside her against the trigger spot. Cee had learned the secret of how to manipulate a woman on this planet and she worked Treia to an orgasm with her fingers.

Treia was panting as she recovered from her orgasm. After a few minutes, she stood up, getting off Cee's lap, and gestured for Cee to follow her. They left the sitting room and a large set of double doors swung open with just a touch onto a bedroom with a large bed covered in deep blue satin sheets with equally deep blue over-sized pillows. Taking Cee by the hand, Treia directed her to lay back and began to untie the drawstring of her trousers. Once loosened, Treia slipped them off of Cee and let them drop to the floor. Her slender fingers seemed to be a deep gold as she ran them over the paler skin of Cee's body, exploring her alien lover for the first time. 'How different are you?' Treia breathed against Cee's ear. 'Where will my fingers please you best?'

'My nipples. The tip of them.' Cee gasped out as Treia took the direction to heart, touching the very tip of Cee's erect nipples and then going further to pinch them between her fingertips. Cee's body reacted and Treia laughed throatily, pinching the nipples harder until Cee was groaning and digging her fingers into Treia's skin. Treia moved to place a leg between Cee's, straddling her thigh and began to rub herself against Cee while continuing to pinch and squeeze Cee's sensitive nipples. Then Cee moved under her, grinding her crotch against Treia's knee. Neither of them stopped until Cee was coming, crying out in pleasure. 

Treia finally released Cee's nipples from their torture and lay atop her lover's body. Cee wrapped her arms around Treia, holding her close until she was able to bring her breathing under control. Without a word, Cee grabbed a handful of the deep blue satin sheets and pulled them roughly to drape the sheets over their naked bodies. 'Definitely not wanting to leave.' Cee whispered and kissed Treia until they both fell asleep.

@@@@@

Thirty years later.

'Cee!' Treia, in full royal apparel of soft blue silks, threw open the doors to their apartment. 'Tonight is to be a night of celebration! The physicians have confirmed what I have suspected!'

'You're pregnant again?' Cee joined Treia in the sitting room. 'Have they determined the gender?'

'Yes! It is a girl! A girl!' Treia was beaming with delight. 'My son will finally have the sister he has wished for and the country will have it's new queen! So many years of trying and now it's happened! My partner is equally ecstatic. He has decided to throw an official banquet of celebration.'

'That's awesome news!' Cee came over to her lover and hugged her hard enough to lift her off her feet.

'Careful! If the physicians saw you handling me this roughly they would declare an emergency!' Treia laughed as Cee placed her back on the ground. 'Of course, you know that in a few weeks time I'll go into sequestration for the duration of the pregnancy. We'll not have any time alone any longer until after the child is born.'

'I know. But I can bear it again. It was worth it when your son was born. He'll definitely be an older brother. I can't believe it's been almost twenty years between your pregnancies.'

'It's not too much of a surprise. Many of the royal children have many years separating them. Twenty is on the longer side but a decade is normal.' Treia was aglow with pride. 'My son is already planning her birth celebrations.' Her attendants were preceding her into the dressing room and Cee followed them all in to settle into a sitting chair to watch them assist Treia out of her regal costume. The various jewels that decorated her neck and ears were carefully placed into their cases and taken to the private vault. It took little time for the attendants to have her out of the regalia and changed into Treia's casual evening wear. 'Tonight it will just be us. Tomorrow will see the formal announcement and the preparations begun for the sequestration. Until then I would like to spend as much time alone with you as I can. I have spoken to my partner and he has already agreed to take on a number of events in my place that I was to attend. It is one of the few times when being a man is much more convenient. He is willing to sacrifice some of his private time with his consort to afford me more time with you. As he said, 'While you bear your lot, I shall have much time on my hands. It is only fair that I take some of the burden while I can.' I am very lucky indeed.'

'That you are.' Cee stood behind Treia as the attendants finally finished all of their tidying up and left the two of them alone. Looking at their reflections in the dressing table mirror, Cee let her fingers glide through her royal lover's locks. 

Treia gazed lovingly at Cee and tilted her head back to rest it against Cee's stomach. Over the years, some slight wrinkles had appeared in the corner of Treia's eyes when she smiled there were more creases. 'You never seem to age, Cee, while I become a wrinkled crone.'

Cee traced some of the lines on Treia's face, smiling. 'You are no crone. You are more beautiful to me than ever.'

'My alien.' Triea whispered and took Cee's hand in hers. 'Your hands are no longer as rough as when you first made love to me.'

'You've made me soft.' Cee grinned. 'Now instead of working all my hands do are loving.' Proving her point, she began to move her hands down towards Treia's breasts. Royal blue eyes closed with her growing arousal. 

@@@@@

The weeks passed since the announcement of the royal expectancy and the sequestration was a week in, Cee had had to adjust once more to a life alone without her Queen. She still lived in the apartments that she shared with Treia but alone now as the sequestration took place in a separate wing with controlled access. She declined attendants to wait on her, she never could get used to them being around. Instead, she spent her time on her studies of the royal histories and of a night she would go into the city alone to see what was going on and most often go to a concert or the theatre. The play this evening hadn't been that great so there was a little disappointment as Cee made her way through the dimly lit streets of the city towards the palace. She had walked this way many times in the past three decades and tonight was no different. Except this time, it wasn't safe. Hands roughly grabbed her and she found herself in a choke hold, the sour smell of tobacco and alcohol hit her like a brick. Before she could make a sound, a calloused hand closed over her mouth and she was being dragged off the street and into a darkened shop front. 

'Is she the right one?' A scratchy male voice broke the silence. Cee didn't struggle but just waited in the hopes of a moment where she would be able to break free of her captor. 

'A'course she's the right bitch. It's na' like she hides much.' The second voice had a strange accent to it but just as gravelled. 'Tay 'er down on tha bed. We got work ta do.'

'I grabbed her, I get her first.' The third voice was against her face, the one holding her and keeping her quiet.

'Ya, 's promised. Fuck 'er and be done wi' er. By morn we're ta 'ave 'er at the ship.' The accented man was the one in charge of the trio. Cee's heart began to pound in panic as her eyes grew accustomed to the dim room and began to dart around the room. The first one to speak was right in front of her, a strip of cloth was balled up and stuffed into her mouth a moment after her captor's hand was pulled away. The two men then dragged her roughly to the bed where ropes were strapped around her wrists and ankles to anchor her down. A knife was slid out of a sheath and her clothes cut away quickly. She couldn't speak even if she could have thought of something to say. The first man, smelling of tobacco, alcohol and now sweat began the assault on her. Cee drew back into her own mind and deadened her senses to what was happening to her. 

Hours later, the ropes loosened and her muscles cramped from the sudden release. The soiled blanket she'd been laid on was wrapped around her and she felt herself being lifted up and thrown over one of the men's shoulders. No others were on the street as they headed out of the city. Cee had a vague notion of where they were going but wasn't registering anything at all. Until she was dropped roughly onto a metal floor. 

'And there is my prize.' The new voice was more polished, more refined but harder. 'You've done very well, men. Unwrap her and then leave us.' The blanket was pulled away from her, the rope around her ankles and wrists dangled loosely. The cold steel of the floor that she sat on chilled her to the bone and she began to shiver violently. The booted feet of her assailants left. 'The Queen's consort. What a prize. My men have done very well indeed.' This one smelled better and his hands were not rough as they moved her head about to look her over. 'No bruising and no bleeding.' He roughly parted her legs before amending his words. 'A little bleeding but expected from one who's never had a cock in her before. A shame isn't it, the purity of the Queen's consort so easily ruined by the simple act of a cock plunging into your tight cunt. When I was planning this out I had thought of being the one to take you first but too much chance of my DNA being traced. I'd rather it be the foot soldiers taking that chance. I need you for something far more important than just your preciously pure cunt.'

Cee stared at the man's face. A wicked black scar cut down the left side of his face. A black patch covered where his eye had been. The scarring puckered around the eye socket. His remaining right eye seemed to be only a black pinprick but that was likely due to the dim light of the room. There was a background hum and Cee vaguely realized that she must be on a spaceship of some sort. He held up his hand to reveal some sort of device in his palm.

'You are going to do something for me.' His voice was soft as he leaned forward to speak in her ear. 'You are going to return to the Queen's apartments, you are going to open the vault and you are going to get me the blue diamond set. And you will do this because if you don't then the Queen will learn about the filthy cocks that soiled her consort's pure cunt forever. And once you have brought me the blue diamond set, I will use this device to wipe the memory of this evening from your mind so that you will never remember it and you will be able to return to your happy blissful life with the Queen. Do you understand me?' Cee nodded, too numbed by all that happened to do anything else but agree. The one thing that she would not want to lose would be her Queen. 'I knew you would accept the challenge.' The scarred man held out his hand for her to take and allowed her to clean herself up.

Cee walked in a mindless haze through the city streets as the sun rose, her only thought was to reach the apartments, get the blue diamonds and return. Then what had happened to her would be erased, he would get the diamonds and she would go back to being the Queen's consort and happy with her life. It was ridiculously easy to get the diamonds. There had never been any restrictions towards her coming and going from the palace, more so now during the sequestration as there was no Queen to keep her there. Hiding the blue diamonds on her person, Cee waited until the evening before she left the palace again as if she were going to the city once more to occupy her time. The same man, smelling worse than before as he had not washed since the night before so there was the new odor of old sex on him now, met her and grabbed her by the arm to lead her back to the ship.

Inside, the same cold metal floor she'd been dropped onto the night before greeted her as she was roughly pushed to her knees. The filthy hands ripped off her top and the hidden parcel of the diamonds strapped to her waist was revealed. The scarred man stepped from the shadows and stood in front of her. With a snap of his fingers, the filthy hands cut the straps of the parcel and handed it over. Opening the pouch, he pulled out each piece to look at it up close. 'An excellent set. The most expensive set of matched blue diamonds known in this quadrant of the universe. The only gems of more value are Metebellian blue quartz. And now they are mine.' 

'I did what you asked. Now do what you promised.' Cee spoke for the first time since the night before. Her voice was harsh. His answering laugh chilled her more than the cold floor.

'Did you really think I would let you go free with a clear mind.' The scarred face was in front of her. His hand opened and the device in his palm was pulsing with a red glow. 'The past thirty years of your life are about to disappear to just a hazy thought, your indiscretions are going to be discovered and you will be removed from the palace district without ever seeing your precious Queen again. Your once pure body is too polluted now to even be let into her presence. Thank you for your help and good luck. I won't be seeing you ever again.' 

Cee went to raise her hands but the man behind her was too quick to grab them and pin her arms back. The scarred man lifted his hand, the palm pressed against her forehead and she cried out as every single pleasant moment she had spent with Treia faded into just the dim haze of a long forgotten dream. And then even those were disintegrating slowly leaving her only with an empty gaping hole in the core of her being. 

@@@@@

'Ciaran, you are herewith removed from the position of Queen's Consort with immediate effect on the dual accusation of allowing yourself to be contaminated by the touch of a man in a sexual manner and for assisting with the unlawful removal of the Queen's Diamonds from the palace. Your condemnation is permanent and consented to forthwith by order of the Royal Couple, both Queen and Partner in agreement to the punishment of banishment. You are allotted a time of one hour to remove yourself from the city to the outskirts from there you will then make arrangements to remove your person from the An'chilian domains to never return upon the consequences determinable by the Royal Couple at the time of return, with potential outcome of death to your person. ' The formal statement was read aloud by the judiciary council representative to the collected court. A guard stood to either side of her with gloved hands on her shoulders even as her hands and ankles were manacled together. Tears streamed down her pale face at the words that spelled the end to her life at the court. It was hard to hold her head up in front of everyone. She had tried to explain what had happened but the details were too vague in her memory, she hadn't been able to clearly remember anything aside from a rough description of the men and even those were fading quickly. The smell of the men, the accent, the scarred face were the only clear things left to her. Cee opened her mouth to speak. 'Silence. There is no response expected or allowed to you. Take her away.' The judicial council member slammed the butt of his staff on the floor to signal the end of the announcement. The guards to her sides led her out of the chamber. 

They led her to the gate where her manacles were removed and another pair of guards took over the duty of leading her towards the city border. All she could request was that they go down the street to the alley where she had arrived at. They were good enough to stop there. 'I will go from here.' She said. They looked at her quizzically as she stepped down the alley. As she approached she gestured with her hand and the guards looked in astonishment at the flaring light of the rift opening. She turned back for a moment, the very last of her memories fading of the Queen. 'If you ever see the Queen, tell her one thing only. I will never stop loving her, never through all of time and space.' Her steps took her to the rift and she stepped through, returning at last to Earth, her first home.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the the Riftwalker and the Time Lord cross paths for the first time.

Medieval England 12th century

The TARDIS materialized in the alley between two buildings in the town. The Doctor emerged whistling tunelessly, throwing his long scarf over his shoulder and jamming his floppy hat down over his mass of curly brown hair. He sauntered along the alleyway, mindless of the puddles of smelly waste on the dirt road until he stepped out onto the main road. There were a series of houses with farms stretched out behind them along both sides of the road, a short distance away was a cross road with a grass commons. On the opposite side of the common was a church with a tall spire on a stone tower, the rest of the local place of worship was built of wood and thatch, just like every other building. Glancing down the other end of the road the Doctor spotted a larger building with some benches along the wall. A number of older men were sat on the benches with pottery mugs in their hands. 'The local pub.' He grinned and made his way towards the pub, anticipating a cup of ale and some gossip. 

Inside the smoky common room of the pub he bought himself a mug of ale tasted it and judged it fit to drink. Looking around he saw only a few men still inside so he headed out to the benches where everyone else was gathered as it was too nice to warrant staying in the smoky interior. Tipping his hat to the older gentlemen, the Doctor found a spot to sit on one of the benches. 'Hullo, anyone know of any good fishing spots in the area?' His wide toothy grin put them at ease and soon they were all chattering about hunting and fishing and the ones that got away. 

After some time a young lad came running up the road from the church. 'They got th'eretic! Bringin'er in now, trussed like an 'og'n all.'

One of the men huffed in derision. 'Tha' bluidy monk. Like he'da know hi'self an'eretic. Don' even know wha' woman'd look like wi'out a shift on.'

'Watch yer self,' His comrade warned him. 'Tha' bluidy monk'd think yer an'eretic too.' 

'Someone's been called a heretic?' The Doctor asked, curious. He'd never been fond of the barbaric early human notions of religion but didn't meddle normally. 

'Aye,' The first man huffed again. 'Jus' cus she'd got t'town only a day 'fore 'e did an' didn' go ta service. Then th'lass 'elped wi' birth a' the wee un of Alix when she got ta cryin' and then da wee un got da lungs on 'im. Big an'ealthy lad 'im.'

'Too 'ealthy, tha monk said.' Another man added and then buried his nose back in his mug of ale.

'That's all that's prompted her to be called a heretic?' The Doctor asked.

'Like da monk nee's more'n tha.' The second man told him. 'I 'spect tha' we'll be seein' a burnin' on da Lor's day next.' 

The Doctor stood up, finished off his ale and followed in the young lad's direction towards the commons. He watched intently as a party of about five men walked down the road towards them. Bound with rope and being dragged behind the men, hardly able to walk upright was a woman who appeared to have been beaten up already. In the next instant he noted that she wasn't exactly dressed like a local. She was wearing a loose pair of trousers and a top made of a blue fabric that definitely did not look local, or even of Earth. And that fact was enough for him to become involved. Stepping in front of the monk who was leading the small group he stopped their progress. 'Here now, what's going on? What's this woman done to deserve this sort of treatment.' 

'Good sir,' The monk looked at the Doctor sternly. 'This is Church business and not yours to concern. Please stand aside. You may join the spectators when we try this heretic for her evil work.'

'That sounds like you've already tried her.' The Doctor's tone was equally hard. 

'The final judgement will be God's.' The monk crossed himself in reverence and pushed past the Doctor.

As they passed him, he got a better look at the bound woman. Her eyes stayed fixed on the ground and her shoulders already sagged in defeat. Watching, he could see drops of blood falling to the ground and on her top as they pulled her along, making her steps lurch. He turned on the spot to watch them lead her to the church. The old man who had spoken out had watched the procession as well but from the side of the road.

'Jus' cus she's diffren.' He said in an undertone. Away from the pub and his audience he voiced his opinions more forcefully with only the Doctor for a witness. 'I spoke ta 'er in da pub. She's a smart 'un. Know's more'n da monk does. More sense too. No call ta trea 'er like'n dat.'

'You spoke to her? Before?' The Doctor asked the old man.

'Ya.' His eyes had grown sad. 'I seen da monks doin' this before'n. Years 'go. Da wise woman, Ol' Granna, she helped all da lasses when dey had their wee 'uns, helped wi' da calving, helped wi' me wee son's coughin' so'n he could grow'n up and wed hi'self and he's got my ol' farm and feedin' his family proud. Now'n she come 'ere and does da same, and 'ere da monk is killin' da wise woman da same. No' right.'

'No, it's not right. Not at all.' The Doctor agreed but before he could respond the old man was walking away and towards the church. He noted that the others from the pub were heading to the church as well as were others leaving their homes. He joined them in their progress to the church. He found a dark corner in the back of the church to watch the so-called trial. 

It wasn't a long trial, nor was it even a real trial. The monk stood at the front of the church by the altar, sermonizing on the evils of women, the practices of magic and the dangers of demons and devils. At the end of the sermon he shouted one question at the broken woman: 'Are you in league with Satan?'

The only sign of any resistance finally flashed from her eyes and words, 'I do not recognize your god or your satan. I recognize only reason and knowledge. As long as you believe in the fantasy you call religion you will drown in your own shit.'

The monk trembled with righteous anger and slapped her across the face violently, fresh blood streaming from her lips. 'Heresy!' Standing straight and pointing at her crumpled form he proceeded to sentence her, 'You are to burn in the fires of hell and you shall do so on the Lord's day this coming Sunday.' He motioned to the men who held her captive by the ropes that bound her. 

It was all the Doctor could do to not rush to the front of the church to release her from her captors and whisk her away from the torture they were inflicting on her but the reality of the scene was that it would do no good. Not here and not now. He would never be able to talk this crowd into sense. Not with their religious obsessions having been heightened by the monk's words. He watched closely as they dragged her away, this time she wasn't able to stand at all so her body took the brunt of the uneven flagstones. They barely picked her up to take her into the crypt. Once down there, they let her drop to the floor and re-emerged. The wood door was left to drop heavily into place, locking her into the dark.

The rest of the people left the church, some speaking in hushed tones but most had an air of levity and anticipation for the events to come this weekend. Only the monk remained and the Doctor strode to the front of the church. 'Have you ever burned someone for heresy that was stronger than yourself?' His tone was conversational as he asked. 

'I hunt heretics only. Only the weak ever succumb to the temptations of Satan and his minions.' The monk crossed himself. 

'Right. So anyone who's stronger than you, fitter than you, would never be seen as a heretic.'

'Of course not. God sees fit to bless those who believe in Him with health.'

The Doctor dropped his conversational tone. 'Here I am, stronger than you, fitter than you and I believe in your God as much as that poor woman does who you've so eagerly beaten almost to death. Are you going to try and beat me now?'

The monk feverishly crossed himself. 'Spawn of Satan! I shall see you burn at her side this Lord’s day!'

'Then take me, lock me up.' He stretched out his arms. 'Or do you not have the strength to do so on your own?' The monk did nothing in response aside from clutching a crucifix and muttering Latin phrases from the bible at the Doctor. 'You'll not burn anyone this week, sir. I shall see to that.' The Doctor casually placed his hat back on his head, ignoring the monk's apoplectic look at the disrespect the Doctor had shown by putting his hat on in the church. Turning on his heel, his boot heels clicked loudly on the flagstones as he left the monk to his fevered prayers.

As he left the church he strode purposefully back towards the alley where he had left the TARDIS and entered it, the doors shut firmly behind him. With the push of a few quick buttons the TARDIS dematerialized but he hadn't moved it, just hid it for the moment. He took off his hat and threw it at the wall. Disgust filled him at what he had witnessed in this town. This world, he thought, he cared for it so much and the people on it but at times it could fill him with such hatred and such utter disappointment. 'Humans, you can be the most beautiful creatures in the universe and yet still be the blackest mark on all of creation at the same time.' He rubbed his face with his hands and then ran them through his hair. 'At least this time I can keep someone from suffering any more.' 

He waited in the TARDIS until night fell. He didn't want to risk anyone else being hurt by acting during the day. Once darkness fell he re-materialized the TARDIS in the same spot and headed back towards the church. In the dead of the night there was no one awake in the town. All the buildings were dark and the moon was barely a sliver in the sky. Walking around the outside of the church he found no other entrance to the crypt aside from a small window for air circulation or drainage, it was hard to tell which. Fishing a lighter out of his coat pocket he lit it and thrust his hand through the opening. 'Hello there?' He called out softly.

'Hello?' The woman's voice was raw and cracked as she answered him.

'How are you doing?' The concern in his voice was palpable.

'I feel like a used punching bag and about to be barbecued in a few days, but kinda okay otherwise.' She muttered softly, trying to sound normal and failing. 'How's about you?'

'I want to help you.' The Doctor ignored her question. 'I won't let them hurt you any longer. Can you walk?'

'Let me try.' She answered and he listened as she shuffled about in the crypt to get to her feet. Succeeding he heard her move slowly to the opening. 'Mobile again. Who are you?'

'I'm the Doctor. You?'

'Call me Cee.'

'The letter C?' He momentarily forgot what he was there to do.

'First letter of my name, no one ever pronounces it right so I just go by my initial. Doctor eh? My rescue sounds kinda posh. Hope you're stronger than your name suggests. That door is heavy.'

'Don't worry about that, that's my job.' The Doctor grinned at her response. She had spirit in her still. 'Listen, there's no other way in or out so I'm going to have to get into the church and open that door. Be ready once I do get it open to move as quickly as you can. I managed to annoy the monk earlier so I'm sure he'd love the chance to chuck me in there with you. I'd rather not.'

'Well, I hope you got a donkey waiting to make our escape on because I'm not going to be moving very far or very fast.'

'I have a way out of town, don't worry.' He looked around and still there was nothing but silence and darkness around him. 'Be ready.'

The Doctor let the lighter go out and quietly made his way round to the front of the church. The door squeaked rather loudly as he entered causing him to wince slightly as he had hoped for silence. Once in, he made his way quickly to the door to the crypt and found it not locked. It was being held shut by the weight of it alone and it was heavy. It took almost all of his strength to lift the heavy wood up and was greeted by her face as the dim moonlight penetrated the dark crypt. Holding out one hand to her she grabbed it and quickly left the crypt. He tried to let the door down quietly but it still slammed shut. As the noise broke the silence it was followed the squeak of the front door. 

'Two heretics for the price of one.' The monk stood there, torch in hand to light the church. He was accompanied by two townsmen, sturdy and fit. 

'And you still can't handle a heretic on your own when they aren't a weak woman.' The Doctor glared at him but held Cee up in his arm to stop her from falling to the floor in her weakened state. He was forced to let her slip to the floor as the two thugs came at him. As he fought them off the monk approached Cee, slamming his foot into her bruised ribs eliciting a cry of pain. 

'You shall now burn with your friend.' He crowed at the crumpled form on the floor, bending down to gloat. He glanced back at the two men who were struggling to control the tall stranger. As he turned back to her, his eyes went wide as she had sat up with a grimace of pain on her face. Her hand reached out to grab the crucifix that hung from the heavy chain at his neck. 

'You'll be the one burning.' She hissed at him, the crucifix turned around in her hand until the long bottom arm pointed at him. With a quick move, quicker than he could ever have expected, the crucifix was plunged into his right eye. He screamed in pain falling back away from her, his hands were clutching at the metal cross that had lodged in his eye socket. With the chilling scream, the two thugs were distracted just long enough for the Doctor to knock them out with the candlestick that he'd grabbed during the fight. 

A knife that one of the men had been holding had slid across the flagstones towards the monk and Cee. He was scrabbling at the pain in his eye and Cee spotted the knife and went to grab it. The Doctor reached the knife just as she was picking it up, murder flashed in her eyes as she was focused on the monk not at the Doctor. His large hand wrapped around hers, stopping her. 'No. You are better than him.' His voice was soft.

'He deserves to die.' She spat at him, trying to pull her hand out of his grip. 

'What anyone deserves doesn't mean it happens.' His eyes bored into hers. 'Prove to me you are better than his kind.' He let go of her hand. She breathed hard, the urge to kill deep inside her. The monk was still writhing in pain, crying for help to his god. She turned her eyes back to the Doctor and then, closing her eyes for a moment and then re-opening them, her hand opened and the knife dropped into his hand. With a quick motion, the knife flew to the far end of the church away from anyone's reach. 

The two thugs were waking up but the fight had been knocked out of them, with the monk bleeding from the eye socket and moaning in pain, they left the church. He helped her up to her feet and, with an arm supporting her, they left the church and made their way to the TARDIS. The Doctor paused with the key in the lock, about to open the door. He grinned at her. 'Can I take you home?'

Cee smiled back but with a sad look though she told him, 'I don't really have a home right now to go back to.'

'Then travel with me for a time?' He held out his hand for her to take it, feeling as if she were already flying with him. 

It was her turn to grin and she put her hand in his, smiling at the gentle squeeze he gave her. 'Yes, I'd love to travel with you.' Still holding her hand, the Doctor opened the door and let her precede him. 'Wow! You travel in style.' Cee looked around and then wandered around the console as he hung up his scarf and coat. The interior door was standing open and she glanced down the corridors for a moment before joining him at the console. 

'Where would you like to go first?' He asked, still grinning like a foolish schoolboy.

'I don't care. Anywhere!' She told him eagerly. 

'Anywhere it is then. Hang on!' He flipped the lever to start the time rotor and the TARDIS began its flight. 

Cee almost lost her balance as the TARDIS jerked and she grabbed hold of the console. Then all hell broke loose. The TARDIS began to toss about wildly and the Doctor was desperately holding on himself. In the confusion he watched as the TARDIS violently swung back and forth and Cee lost her grip, flying back away from the console. 

'Cee! NO!' He cried out as he couldn't stop her crashing hard against the interior door. He visibly winced as he heard the sharp crack of bone breaking. Feverishly he threw the controls into a dead stop and the violent motions finally stopped. Cee lay on the floor, her neck twisted just out of place. Grabbing his scarf off the coat stand, he knelt by her side, bundling it around her neck to keep her steady. She was still breathing and he wanted her to stay that way. 'Cee, hang in there. I'm going to take you to help.' Once he was satisfied she was stable enough where she lay, he turned back to the console and plugged in the coordinates for UNIT headquarters. The TARDIS was still not steady but it wasn't as violent this time and they landed safely in his old offices. 

Emerging from the TARDIS the Doctor was met by one of his old friends, Sergeant Benton. A few quick words and the Sergeant was off again, calling for medical assistance and the Brigadier. 

A medical team was quickly swarming in the console room, a brace around her neck and a spine board ready to carry her to the nearby operating theater. The Doctor stood back, letting the team do what they needed to keep her alive. The Brigadier arrived and caught the worried look in his old friend's eyes. Standing at his side, the Brigadier didn't say a word as Cee was carried on the spine board out of the TARDIS. 'Doctor?' The Brigadier finally posed the unasked question.

'Please Brigadier, just help her, heal her.' The Doctor was barely containing himself from the quick succession of events of the day. From his usual getting stuck in to help someone in a pickle, to finding someone he would love to travel with and then to have almost killed the same woman was almost too much for him to bear.

'My best people are helping her and we'll be contacting the best surgeon to assist.' He reassured the Doctor.

'Am I too dangerous now, Brigadier? Have I gotten too carried away?' The Doctor's eyes had a shadow pass over them.

'What do you mean, Doctor?'

'I only wanted to help her and instead I've almost killed her just minutes after saving her. How could I not have seen this?'

'There must be a good explanation, Doctor. Why don't we see how the medical doctors are getting on with helping her and then we can worry about the why.' The Brigadier awkwardly patted the Doctor on the shoulder, unsure how to handle his friend in this distressed manner.

'Brigadier! The patient, she's got worse!' Sergeant Benton broke in. 'They've been trying to sedate her and use pain killers and she's allergic to them.'

The Doctor went pale at the news. 'Allergic to painkillers?'

'They say they can't risk surgery without,' Benton rushed the words out. The Doctor didn't answer but just followed the Sergeant's directions towards the operating theater.

Bursting in, the Doctor sought out the head surgeon. 'What's wrong?'

'Best we can tell is that every pain killer we've tried she's allergic too. Thankfully the counter drugs are easing the allergic reactions but there's no way that we can risk surgery on her neck without them. No matter how tightly we could tie her down the slightest movement could see a scalpel slicing the spinal column and killing her. The sedatives are working but to keep her that still we'd practically have to put her in such a deep coma that she may as well be dead. It's hopeless. The best we could hope for at this point is to keep the neck brace on and keep her immobilized until she heals naturally. Who's kidding who, it would be if she lives. The breaks are in three vertebrae and the edge of the broken bone are almost resting on the spinal column. One wrong movement and she'll be dead or at least paralysed from the neck down.'

'No, there's another way.' He began to take off his coat and handed it to Benton. Rolling up his sleeves, he rolled a stool over to the head of the surgery table. Cee was sedated and strapped face down, already prepped for a procedure that the doctors were now saying they couldn't perform safely. 

'What on earth do you think you're doing?' The surgeon started to try and usher the Doctor out of the area. 'You shouldn't even be in here.'

'I'm going to be her pain killer.' The Doctor told the surgeon.

'Sorry?' 

The Brigadier interjected. 'Get on with it man, if the Doctor says he's going to take care of the pain then you're going to do what you need to do to save this woman.'

'Yes sir.' The surgeon shrugged his shoulder and started to bark orders at the nurses. The anaesthetist spoke briefly to the Doctor and nodded. Stretching his fingers for a moment, the Doctor then leaned towards Cee and rested his fingers on her temple. Once the telepathic connection was made he drew in a quick breath as the pain that had been pulsing through her nerves since her neck was broken washed over him. 

'Sir, her heart rate and pulse have stabilized, the sedation is steady. I'll continue to monitor throughout.' He glanced at the Doctor. 'Are you going to be okay sir? Would a shot help you?'

'No.' The Doctor spoke sharply through the pain. 'It's telepathic not physical. Do what you need to.'

The surgery began.

Hours later, the surgeon put the final stitches into the back of Cee's neck. A neck brace was placed around her neck once more and then she was carefully tilted over and laid onto a recovery bed. 'Once that's had a chance to start healing we'll see about a halo. For now she won't be moving much at all until the swelling is all gone. I'll be monitoring her closely.'

The Doctor just sat on the stool, sweat had been dripping down his forehead and the back of his shirt was damp as well. Even with the separation of the link he was still continuing to draw most of the post-operative pain from Cee. The Brigadier handed him a towel and the Doctor was drying himself off. 'Up to explaining now?'

'Sorry Brigadier. It's been a trying time today. I appreciate all that you and UNIT have done so far.'

'And if the surgeon's report is anything to go by it'll be some time yet before we're finished helping.'

'What's the verdict?' The Doctor asked, still deferring his explanation to the Brigadier. 

'At least 3 months for the bones to heal sufficiently and then rehabilitation will be anywhere from another 2 to 4 months depending on the patient and how it heals.' The Doctor sighed heavily. 'However the surgeon does believe that with support and proper care Cee should make a full recovery. He saw only swelling and no damage to the spinal column.'

The Doctor finally dared to relax slightly at some good news. 'Thank you.'

'Now, an explanation.'

'It's actually quite uncomplicated, disastrous or nearly so, but uncomplicated. We were taking off in the TARDIS when there was a disturbance that set the stability of the TARDIS out of sync throwing us both about. Cee had her back to the interior door, which was left open. When she fell backward she was thrown against the door edge. The force was hard enough to break bones.'

'Well Doctor, rest assured I'll see to it that my staff take excellent care of her.' He patted him on the arm a second time that evening. 'Feel free to drop in anytime to check up on her.'

'Sorry?' The Doctor looked at him puzzled.

'We'll look after her and see to it that she's up and walking again.'

'You make it sound like I'll be leaving.' The Doctor said, pulling his coat back on. 'Brigadier, I'm not abandoning her. I'm staying right here until she's on her feet walking again. I'll need a cot placed in her recovery room for me to rest on.'

'You're going to stay?' It was the Brigadier's turn to look puzzled. 'I'm sorry Doctor, but you aren't the type to stay in one place for that long.'

'I was responsible for this, it's necessary for me to see to it that she's safe and heals. If anything were to go wrong and I weren't here to assist I wouldn't be able to live with myself.'


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Riftwalker recovers and the Doctor makes a decision.

It was three days before Cee awoke fully from the effects of the sedation and the post-op pain despite the Doctor's best efforts to ease it as much as he could without superseding too much of herself. He was already finding that the telepathic link was not receding when he was separated physically from her. He wondered if the intensity and the longer duration of his link with her had made it permanent. 

'Where?' Her words were hardly more than a whisper and the Doctor almost didn't hear her being lost in his thoughts. 

'Cee.' His voice spoke of his joy at hearing her speak finally, more than anything he could have said aloud.

Her eyes blinked slowly to try and clear the grit from them. Instinctively she tried to raise her hand but there was only the slightest motion of her fingers. Cee's breathing was slightly laboured. 'Where am I? We were ... ' 

'I'm sorry, Cee. The TARDIS was knocked about somehow and you were thrown against the door.' His voice caught as he fought back his emotions. Three days of thinking to himself and just replaying the events in his mind had almost turned his responsibility into an unending sense of guilt. 'Your neck, it was broken.'

'That kinda explains the pain then.' More blinking of her eyes made the grit actually get in her eye and they began to water. The Doctor got a cloth and began to gently wipe them clean. After some more slow blinks Cee was able to see properly but only in a limited area directly in front of her - in this case a dull white ceiling - and in her peripheral vision around the recovery bed. She was able to see him off to one side gazing intently at her. 'Am I paralyzed then? Permanently?'

Relief washed over his voice, 'No, Cee. No, you're not. You're only immobilized while you heal properly. Only bones were broken, your spinal column wasn't damaged.' He took her hand in his, squeezing her fingers lightly. 

'Good. Cuz if I were paralyzed permanently I'd be asking you to just kill me outright.' Cee said without emotion.

'No! Don't even think of that!' The Doctor felt panic rising in his hearts, squeezing her hand tighter.

'Ow.' She winced at the tight grip he had on her hand. 'Down, boy.' He quietly apologized and let off the pressure on her hand. 'So where are we?'

'Unit HQ,' The Doctor answered, saw her unknowing look and clarified. 'In England, early 1980s. It was the best place I could think of in a hurry. They have the right surgical techniques to help you heal and rehabilitate. It could take about 6 months.'

'Yay.' She could almost feel the weight of the boredom to come. 'Early 80's, do they have audio books yet? I'll need some of those to keep me from going brain dead.'

'No worries. If you want me to read to you I will. The TARDIS has a complete library.' 

Her fingers moved in what she hoped was a dismissive gesture. 'No audio books then. Oh well. Cassette tapes?'

'Whatever you want I'll see to it.' The Doctor told her, reassuring her. 

'Cool. Hey, do they do Jello? Hospitals always serve Jello.'

The Doctor couldn't help himself laughing. 'They do have a version of it.' Cee closed her eyes, tiring. She yawned and the Doctor stroked her hand gently. 'Why don't you rest again. You need to let your body heal.'

Cee slept through another full day before she awoke again. As she began to blink to clear her eyes the Doctor was there with a damp cloth to help clean them and avoid more irritation. 'Still here?'

'Of course.' His fingers found her hand again, holding her lightly to feel if she should gesture this time.

'I thought I would have slept longer.' 

'It's been over 24 hours since you were last awake.' The Doctor told her. 'You need the rest.'

'Oh.' She tried to move her head but couldn't, her eyes asked him silently.

'Neck brace to keep you still. They're waiting for the swelling to go down then they'll judge whether you should be placed in a temporary halo.'

'Fun. There any water around. I'm parched.' The Doctor helped her drink and wiped up whatever spilled. 'Thanks. They run things on the cheap here. I've not seen any nurses at all.'

'I've chased them off.'

'Huh?'

'I didn't think them up to the job. I let the nurses take care of um, hygiene but I've been taking care of everything else for you.'

'Why?' Cee could only express herself through her eyes and she was incredibly puzzled.

'It was my TARDIS that caused you harm, I'm responsible to see you back to health.'

'I know you saved me in the church and all but you really don't have to hang around for me. Between the nurses and me being stubborn I'm sure I can manage without you.'

The Doctor rubbed his eyes. 'No, Cee. It's not just that.' He tightened his hold on her hand and opened his mind to her hoping she would sense him. 'Remember when I asked you to travel with me?'

'I remember.' She said, her brows furrowed slightly as she felt a presence behind her eyes. 'What?'

'I'm a telepath, when I held your hand the first time and asked you to travel I felt you. Inside.' He tapped the side of his head.

'The stars. All over.' Cee's eyes unfocused as she recalled the moment he had held his hand out to her in front of the TARDIS and she had taken it.

'The planet spinning and the stars above in motion.' His voice was soft and lulling. 'All of time and space waiting. You felt it too?'

'I did.' Cee found herself coming back to the here and now. 'It was the same feeling I get when I look through the rift.'

'The rift?' The Doctor abruptly let go of her hand. Cee weakly tried to catch his hand back with hers but couldn't reach him. 

'Yeah, the rift. You're lucky, you found a way to use a ship. I've never been able to find a way to do that.' Cee smiled weakly. 

'Oh no.' The Doctor went pale.

'Uh, what's wrong?' Cee asked as she tried to keep him in her line of sight. She was oblivious to what he understood now.

'I am so very, very sorry Cee.' He couldn't hold back the tears that welled in his eyes as he realized why the TARDIS reacted as it did. 'You walk the rift.'

'Yeah. How else do you think I get round.'

'Cee, I'm a Time Lord. The TARDIS uses the time vortex. The rift energy feeds the vortex but only through the Eye of Harmony. Converted to be usable. Raw rift energy in contact with the vortex is like matter colliding with antimatter. I should have known.'

'Not following at all.' Cee still didn't understand. 'Sorry man, I never made it past high school. Wouldn't have a clue about time lords and vortexes.'

'It's like, like... ' He struggled to find an analogy. 'Putting diesel in a petrol tank. It's toxic. The TARDIS felt that you were infused with rift energy. It couldn't run with you on board and it tried to expel you.' His hands gestured as he spoke. 'If you were to travel on the TARDIS again.' His face contorted into despair for a moment before he caught himself. 'You can't ever set foot on the TARDIS again, Cee. If you do it will try to shake you off again. Next time you may die.'

'Oh.' Cee finally understood. She looked into his eyes and saw the anguish he was trying hard to hide from her. She swallowed hard, looked at him with the same feeling of regret and then closed her eyes, shutting it out. Neither of them could speak again that night but just held each others hand.

The next time she awoke, the Doctor was still there but this time he'd been resting on his cot rather than hovering over her. He stood once he heard her stir. 'Morning.'

'Is it?" She still sounded half asleep. 'I don't even know the day.'

'It's Saturday.' He answered her. 'Most of the staff are gone. There's a nurse on call if you need to ah..'

'Yeah, I could use help with the facilities.' She tried to be delicate. 'I feel gross too. Would I be able to have a bath at all?'

'No, sorry. Strict orders to not move. You're limited to sponge baths and bedpans.'

'Fun.' She sounded a bit put out but resigned to it. 'Could you call the nurse?'

Leaving her alone for a few minutes he went to the nurses station and requested their assistance. He waited outside by the nurses' station until they returned from taking care of Cee. He busied himself by reading the newspaper that they had left there and then flipped through magazines that littered the small waiting area. When they returned, he made his way back to Cee's side. 'Feeling better?' He asked.

'Yeah.' Her fingers were restless, picking at the bedsheet. 'Doctor.'

'Cee.' He responded with her name. 

'I won't be upset if you decide to leave.' 

'I'm not leaving.' His voice was adamant.

'You should leave. Walk away and never come back.'

'I'm not abandoning you.'

'It's pretty pointless you know. We can't travel together so if you leave now you can just let it all become a memory. I'll do the same.'

'I don't want that. I don't want you to just be a memory.' 

'Can't be anything else, can it.' Cee was being practical about the situation. 'The TARDIS is your home, it's how you travel. I can't be on it so there's no point. Walk away now before...' She didn't finish the thought.

'It already hurts too much, Cee.' He finished her thought. 'No matter how much distance we put between us the fact that we can't travel together will never change. I would rather have what time I can with you wherever I can so I'm not leaving you here on your own.'

Cee sighed but held his hand tightly. 'I'm not going to say no to you staying.'

'Good. I prefer you wanting me to stay.' He broke into a huge grin, squeezing her hand gently. 

They didn't talk about their situation for the time being but instead, as the Doctor was determined to stay with Cee and help with her recovery, they wound up talking a lot. Cee started to open up more to him about her past and related to him how she started to walk the rift, learning how to read the paths and sense things about the places at the other end. In response, the Doctor shared with her stories of his travels and explaining to her about Time Lords. She was most amused when he was telling her about Time Lord abilities of regeneration. 

'So, if you wear out or someone really really kicks the shit out of you, you just change?' She tried to get her head round the concept.

'Language.' He told her off. 'You curse a lot and it's really not nice.'

She rolled her eyes and snapped a finger against his hand. Her hands were still the only part of her below her neck that had any function at all despite her efforts so far to get her feet to move. 'I swear sometimes. Deal with it.'

'I don't like cursing.' He explained.

'I don't like milk.' She retorted. 'I got over it. You'll get over it. So, how do you wind up changing?'

'When I regenerate?' He looked away from her face and thought for a few moments to try to find a way to explain. 'When my physical body is beyond normal repair then a cellular response is triggered. It's like they break down the parts, work out what's damaged and start to repair at the basest level then I'm rebuilt. In the process parts of my DNA are shuffled up and when the cells are restored the new dominant genes take over and my appearance adapts.'

'What about your brain?' 

He smiled, 'The brain at the core stays the same. I know everything I experienced before, who I am. Initially it can be confusing and unstable but once the changes stabilize I find some differences but they'd be more cosmetic. Like my sense of humour or mannerisms.'

'That's actually pretty amazing. Way more cool than what I've figured out. Best I can tell is that I age pretty slowly. I look in the mirror and it's like I only look to be in my 20's but I've been around at least 50 years now.'

The Doctor chuckled, 'I'm around 400 years old now.'

'Wow. Maybe I should call you Gramps then.' 

'Don't you dare! I am nowhere near the age of a grandfather. Barely middle aged.'

Cee just laughed and the Doctor joined her, enjoying the moment of their shared laughter. His eyes seemed to sparkle as she watched him.

 

The surgeon stood over Cee on the bed a folder holding the latest x-rays of her neck and spine. 'Good news, the swelling on your spinal column is receding and you should start to be regaining the use of your extremities now. I would say that over the next two weeks we'll have the physical therapist come in and start working on your feet and hands to start working the muscle strength back up. In another two weeks we'll schedule another round of x-rays and reconvene to check on your progress. If the healing continues at this pace and you are diligent with your exercises at the therapist's direction we should have you at least sitting up more. I'd like to see you work on this and then get you over to the therapy wing for large muscle and full mobility rehab.'

'I can't wait!' Cee told him with relief. 'This room is way too boring.'

'That's the best attitude to have.' The surgeon patted her on the shoulder. 'Keep up the hard work and you'll be up on your feet soon enough but don't go so hard at it that you over-stress your muscles.'

'Thanks doc.' Cee was grinning at the good news. The surgeon left and the Doctor bent down to give her a hug as best he could. 'Hey hey. Careful boy. Don't be undoing all the good work there.'

'Sorry! I didn't hurt you did I?' The Doctor stepped back hurriedly with a worried look.

'No, just worried I guess.' 

He looked relieved and then bent down once more this time to kiss her on the forehead. 'I'll be glad to be away from these nurses. I think they resent me doing most of their job.' He sat down beside the bed on his usual seat. 'With such good news, how would you like to celebrate?'

'Personally I would love to be able to take a proper bath but that's still out. Chinese takeaway would be my next choice but the diet restrictions are still in place. So, you think maybe there's a chance of getting your hands on some chocolate pudding?'

'If you can handle my absence for a few minutes, I'll go find you some.'

'Deal. Be off good knight.. fetch me my pudding!' 

Over the next two weeks the physical therapist was there every morning to help work with Cee on building up the mobility of her feet and hands. By the time the next round of x-rays were due to be taken Cee was able to move both her feet and shift her lower legs to a small extent. Her hands showed more marked improvement and she was soon able to move almost normally below her elbow and some limited movement up to the shoulder. With the progress the surgeon signed her off as fit to finally be moved to the rehab center and off of the restricted diet. It was still felt that a nurse would still be needed until such time as Cee would be able to hold herself at least upright in bed for a minimum one hour without tiring.

'Not quite perfect,' Cee grumbled, her hands resting on her stomach now rather than at her sides. 'I hate having a nurse washing me. Just want to soak properly.'

'Don't be too harsh.' The Doctor told her. 'Once we move to the rehab center I'll see about getting you a Chinese takeaway.'

'Mmmm. I can't wait!' Cee grinned at the thought of real food again. 'Although, I think I'd like to keep getting the chocolate pudding. Hey,' She was able to now reach over towards him and nudge his leg. 'You know what you could do now?'

'What?' The Doctor asked. 

Cee patted the bed. 'Should be safe now for you to stretch out here beside me. Be easier on your back rather than that horrid chair.'

The Doctor looked at her curiously before answering. 'You sure?'

'Yeah.' She patted the space beside her again. 'There should be enough space for you.'

'I'm not worried about the space.' He said. 

'It's not like I can jump on you.' Cee teased him. 'I'm just asking you to lie beside me. I just want a proper cuddle.'

The Doctor finally gave in to her request and cautiously joined her on the bed, his legs stretched out well past where hers ended. He didn't dare try to put an arm around her, fearing it too much movement her neck just yet, instead he held her hand and remained close to her side. 'Better?'

'You're just holding my hand. Can't you uh,' Cee tried not to look or sound too eager, 'if you lay on your side you could put your arm around me.'

'Okay.' The Doctor gently moved to rest on his side and gently rested his hand across her stomach. She moved her right hand to rest across her stomach and against his forearm. 

'Much better now.' 

It was only a matter of a few days in the rehab center that Cee's days fell into a routine. To be ready on time for the morning therapy she woke up quite early, the Doctor bringing her a cup of coffee and a light breakfast. They were then joined by a nurse who helped Cee use the facilities and dress in a loose t-shirt and track bottoms. The Doctor would then help get her into a wheelchair, at first using a chest strap to help hold her upright, and then down the hallway to the exercise facilities. The therapist would then put Cee through a specific program to strengthen and tone her muscles. The first few days, while the exercises hadn't been too strenuous the increased level of activity left her exhausted and sweaty. As the Doctor had wheeled her back to the room that they were sharing, he had to help hold her up as she sagged from the aching of her body. Once in the room, the nurse had been there to help her wash and dry off. Lunch was a very light and quick affair before Cee was back in her bed and asleep. After the initial exhaustion, Cee found her strength building up and the need for a long nap in the afternoon lessened and a massage therapist became part of the routine to help keep her muscles loose and avoid cramping that may risk undoing the progress gained from the workouts. 

The Doctor continued to hover wherever Cee was, during the physical therapy he was there to encourage her and whenever asked to he helped move her from her wheelchair to the exercise equipment and then back to the wheelchair to return to their room. However, when the massage therapist arrived he would leave the room to afford Cee her privacy as she would normally be covered only by a towel. Sometimes the massage therapist would emerge, deny him entry and have a nurse come in to assist with a bath. After that though, the rest of the afternoon and evening would be left to just the two of them. 

'Whatcha want to do this evening?' Cee asked, propped up slightly with a number of pillows under her and to her right side while the Doctor sat on her left side holding a glass of juice that she'd been sipping from. 

'Could run out to the TARDIS and get a new book to read to you.' He said. 'Agatha Christie maybe?'

'Mmm, could do. Or what about a history? I didn't mind that Roman history you read last week. You did name drop Marcus Aurelius. Oh hey.. what about Galileo or da Vinci. They wrote a bit each didn't they.' The Doctor coughed suddenly and Cee looked at him. 'What did I say?'

'Da Vinci, most of his works were more technical. I didn't think you were into technical works.' The Doctor blushed a bit but Cee hadn't been looking at him.

'Oh. Never mind that.' Cee dismissed the idea of da Vinci. 'Agatha Christie then.'

'Be back.' The Doctor left her for some time on her own as he headed out onto the grounds of the rehab center where he'd had the TARDIS relocated by UNIT. Once inside he headed to the library and scanned through the volumes he'd collected of Christie’s works. Rather than bringing a number of individual books he grabbed a couple of collected works volumes. As he left the library he paused by the section that contained da Vinci's works. One slim volume drew his attention more closely. Running a finger along the spine of the manuscript, he slipped it off the shelf and opened it to the front page. A short inscription was written in Italian, translated for him by the TARDIS. He smiled to himself, closed the book and was about to replace it on the shelf when he stopped himself. Instead, he took it with him and stopped in his bedroom. There he placed the slim manuscript in the beside table, the title on the frontispiece read: Treatise on Lust. With a thought he telepathically locked the drawer shut. He wasn't sure why he moved the book there, it wasn't as if Cee would ever be on the TARDIS to find it but over the past months he had found himself more willing to open his hearts to her. He didn't know if Cee meant to push their relationship slowly closer but he wasn't averse to it. Cautious still, he reminded himself that nothing may come of it yet and he would have to accept that as well. For now though, he would lock away that part of his past life. 

 

The next morning, the usual routine began with the Doctor waking up well before Cee and getting breakfast going. He ate his own breakfast while he prepared hers. The coffee finished brewing and the smell woke Cee up. Plate and mug in hand he walked to the bedside, setting them on the bedside table he helped prop her up on some pillows. Once she finished eating, he took the dishes over to the small kitchenette and placed them in the sink for the moment. The nurse would normally have been here by now so he looked at his watch. 'Looks like we're early this morning.'

'You were early. I only wake up to the smell of the coffee.' 

'Ah, I'm taking the blame again then.' The Doctor smiled and joined her on the bed, sitting beside her. 'Shall we do something different today?'

'What do you have in mind?'

'I was thinking maybe a picnic this afternoon. It's supposed to be warm and sunny and there's a nice garden between here and the exercise room. I was thinking maybe fish and chips? I can go and pick it up while you're being manhandled by the therapist.'

'Sounds like a date.' Cee grinned and laughed at his double take. 'Don't Time Lords go on dates then?'

'Well, we do court partners.' The Doctor answered almost clinically. Cee gave him a smack on the arm with the back of her hand. 'What?'

'Mr. Textbook.' She told him off. 'Is this a date or are you just talking friendly afternoon out?'

'Friendly afternoon out.' He said quickly. 

'Okay then. Friendly afternoon out it is. I'll take chicken fingers instead of fish.'

The Doctor left Cee in the care of the therapist and, borrowing one of the UNIT jeeps, drove into town and picked up fish and chips for the both of them. He then stopped by the local shop and picked up a bottle of wine with a couple of glasses. Driving back he started to whistle aloud out of tune with the song playing on the radio. Arriving back at the rehab facility, he grabbed a blanket from the room, threw it over his shoulder, grabbed a few pillows for Cee to lean against and headed to the grass commons that they walked around every day. He laid out the blanket under one of the trees, set the pillows against it and then headed into the exercise room. There, he found her just finishing up her exercises. 'Lunch is here!' He waved the packed fish and chips. 'They didn't have chicken so I just got you a small piece of fish.'

'That'll do.' Cee smiled and with a helping hand from the Doctor she made it into the wheelchair. Pushing her along, the Doctor headed to the commons. 'Awww, a proper picnic blanket! You sure you aren't taking me on a date?' She had to tease him again.

'Friendly afternoon out. That's all.' He told her again and stopped the wheelchair beside the blanket. 'Let's see how strong you are now, use your arms to pull yourself up.'

'Didn't I get enough browbeating before?' Cee asked with a laugh but took his hands and tried to pull herself up out of the wheelchair. Gritting her teeth, she managed three quarters of the way up out of the chair before he took over and got her to stand up straight. He steadied her for a few moments and gazed down at her. He was at least a foot taller than her he reckoned. She was looking up at him, smiling. The moment passed when she started to wobble a bit on her feet. Helping her onto the blanket, he fixed the pillows behind her so she could sit up and eat with him. He opened the wine and started to pour them each a glass. 'I don't think I'm allowed alcohol yet am I?'

'I won't tell a soul.' The Doctor winked at her and tapped her glass with his. They sipped their wine and got to eating and chatting. After, he stretched out on the grass and laid his head in her lap, looking up at her. She rested her hand on his chest, just feeling his hearts beating. 'It's odd, staying in one place for so long.'

'You hop about that much?' She asked. 

'Usually from one crazy adventure to another. I'm not known to settle down.' The Doctor said. 'Like landing in Medieval England and finding you.'

'And now stuck with me.'

'By choice,' He reminded her. 'Even if it hadn't been my stupidity that caused this I wouldn't have abandoned you. I asked you to travel with me, that alone would have made me responsible for you.'

'What of the others you talk about?' Cee asked him. 'The other companions that left.'

'None of them suffered from a broken neck so I've never felt the need to do this. But they leave or have to go.' He looked away from her gaze for a few moments. 'Some die.' Her hand moved from his chest to grasp his hand and squeeze it. The Doctor blinked away a tear and then felt her finger brush it from his face. 

'Sorry, didn't mean to make you cry.' She tried to lighten the mood again. He took her hand and kissed it softly, not thinking. She didn't comment on the kiss but did brush his face with her fingers. 

'Anyway, we should probably get inside. You must be tired.' He started to get up but she just pressed her hand lightly against his chest, keeping him on his back. 'Cee?'

'Will you cry when you leave me?' She asked, breaking the silence that had been between them on the subject of the future.

'When I leave you?' 

'You said it yourself, when I'm up and walking again you won't need to be responsible for me anymore.'

'Doesn't mean I'm leaving you then.'

'You think I believe that?' She poked him in the chest. 'Be honest. I know when I'm able to walk again I'll be travelling through the rift again. You'll be in the TARDIS in a heartbeat and off.'

'Travelling doesn't mean leaving you.' He said quickly.

'Travelling does mean being apart.' Cee reminded him.

'We could meet up at times. Somewhere.'

'You fly in your home. I don't have a home.'

'Find one?' He suggested. 

'Sorry?' Cee furrowed her eyebrows. 

'Find a home and then I can travel to it and be with you sometimes when I need some downtime.' He got up onto his knees facing her. 

'Where am I going to find a home?' Cee laughed. 'The only home I ever had was burned down when I triggered the rift the first time.'

'Ah.' The Doctor looked crestfallen. 'Well, one thing at a time then. Let's worry about that once you're back up and walking. There's time yet.'

'There's always time for you Time Lord.' 

'And you,' He reminded her.

'Well, I'll try to age gracefully.' She gave him a playful punch. 

That evening, Cee went to bed early after the eventful afternoon they'd had. The Doctor wasn't tired at all so once she had fallen asleep he left her side and headed to the TARDIS to do some thinking. In his bedroom, he sat in his favourite chair with his feet up. He was getting more and more confused the longer he was with Cee. There were times when he thought he had absolutely fallen properly in love with her, other times there was just only a strong sexual attraction but then, most often, a strictly platonic friendship. Today during their picnic he had experienced the love he felt for her at its strongest just as he had been prompted to think about leaving her. He just didn't want to leave her, not the way she had hinted at anyway. 

It was incredibly different from how he had felt about his wife all those years ago. Before when he'd settled for the normal life of a low level graduate of the Academy, partnered with her, had children, raised them. Then the children grew up and left for their own paths. Boredom, crushing boredom then. His wife opted to annul their bonding and went off to live the rest of her lives on her own. Susan, their only grandchild, came to stay with him. She had been equally bored. He decided to steal the TARDIS, picked up Susan and off they had gone. 

Now, he had met Cee. Felt in her a kindred spirit, one who could feel the universe the way he did. He was resigned to not being able to travel with her at his side but he didn't want to see her leave his life for good. He closed his eyes and rubbed his face. Cee didn't believe it could work but he wanted to find a way. If she had a home, he could easily travel to it in the TARDIS and spend time with her there. That was easy for him to do. All she needed was to find a home that he could find her at.

The Doctor sighed, the only problem was with all of this great grand planning was that he still didn't know how Cee felt about him. Resigned for the moment to no resolution he took the chance to have a quick shower and change his clothes. He then made his way back to her room. He hung up his coat in the small wardrobe, took off his boots and then stood over her, just watching her breathe. With a sad smile, he slipped into bed beside her, curling up beside her after kissing her softly on the forehead. 

The Doctor did mean to tell her that he had kissed her as she slept but somehow it never felt right. Instead, he fell into a habit of kissing her goodnight on the forehead after she had fallen asleep. Now, after almost two steady weeks of progress with her upper body strength, they were conferring with the therapist. Their focus would now concentrate on her lower body. Cee was overjoyed to finally be given the green light to bathe properly on her own with the only proviso being that someone be available to help her both in and out of the tub. She would still need the wheelchair for getting around but the therapist told her to try and move about as much as she could without it to help build her leg muscles. 

Back in the rooms, Cee was tugging on his arm with joy as he helped her up from the wheelchair and onto the bed. 'A bath, Doctor! I can have a bath on my own! Finally. Do you have any idea what it's like to have a grumpy nurse hovering over you all the time?'

'I really hope you're referring to the ladies that were assisting you.' 

'You are NOT grumpy at all.' She told him, grinning. 'You have been the best nurse I could ever hope to have. And, I know they said I'd need help getting in and out of the tub but I think it's going to be hardest on the getting out. The toilet is right beside the tub and there's the bar on the wall.'

'There is one slight little problem.' The Doctor tried to be subtle.

'What?' Cee asked. 'I don't see any problem. I just leave the door open and give you a shout when I need a hand up out of the tub.'

He smiled in a nervous worried way. 'You'll be naked.'

Cee pursed her lips, not having thought about that. 'There'll be towels nearby.'

'Wet towels if you use them while still in the tub, before I can help you out of it.'

'I can deal with a wet towel for a few minutes. Once I'm out, I can sit up on my own and dry off, get dressed. It can work.' She held his hand tightly. 'We can get it to work, can't we Doctor?'

'We'll try.' He told her. 'I just, well, I'll do everything I can to not look at you inappropriately.'

'Doctor, are you blushing again?' Cee chuckled at him. 'You've seen me sleeping for how many months? Surely you've seen enough of me for it to not matter if you were to catch a sight of skin.' She squeezed his hand. 'I'm not going to try and embarrass you, don't worry.'

'That's reassuring.' He tried to sound calm and it must have succeeded.

'Geez, I was kinda hoping you'd try for a few sneaky peeks. Party pooper. Thought you liked me.'

'I do!' He tried to backtrack. She started to laugh at him.

'You are way too easy to wind up, Doctor. Help me to the bathroom. I really want to have a long hot bath.'

'Yes, ma'am.' The Doctor helped her to walk to the bathroom and started to run the bath for her. Once the tub was filled, he made to leave the bathroom and her alone for a while. She took his hand before he did.

'For what it's worth Doctor, I do want my alone time but I'm still very glad that you're here for me.' It was her turn to blush a little. 'And if anyone were to look at me inappropriately, I don't mind it being you.' She kissed him on the cheek. He smiled, touched his cheek and left her to have her bath.

He made himself a coffee and sat in his chair, feet up on the bed to stretch his legs out. He couldn't help but replay over in his head what she had said about not minding him looking at her inappropriately. He idly wondered if she was inviting him to do just that. If it was then he wondered if she'd already seen him looking at her that way at times or if she knew he'd been kissing her just about every night. He sipped at his coffee. 

'Doctor?' Her voice called out from the bathroom. 'Time for a hand!'

'Coming.' He answered back and got up. She had one of the large towels covering her torso, the suds covering the rest. 

'I couldn't reach the plug. If we get a longer chain for it, I could start to drain the water first and cover up better then.'

'Good idea.' He agreed with her and kept his eyes averted as he helped her to her feet and out of the tub. 'Feeling better?'

'You have no idea!' She told him. 'Off you scoot. I'll be out in a few after I've dried off and put on my pj's.'

'Cee?' The Doctor started to ask her a question as he stood away from the bathroom, out of line of her sight.

'What's up?' She called out.

'Do you still want me to cuddle with you at night?'

'Of course I do!' She grinned at him. 'I still need your legs after all. Ready for you now.'

'Oh good, I'm still of use to you.' The Doctor replied as he rejoined her in the bathroom. She was finishing drying her hair as she sat on the toilet seat. 

'Doctor, you sound a bit off. Everything okay?'

'Yes, why wouldn't I be okay? You're the one in therapy.' He tried to sound light but she saw through him.

'Bullshitter.' Cee told him off. 'What's wrong.'

'Language.' Cee stuck her tongue out at him. 'What's wrong? It's been what? About four months now into your recovery and rehabilitation. I've enjoyed spending the time with you. Now that you're getting better.' He scratched his nose. 'I feel selfish thinking that I don't want this to end.'

'Doctor.' She held his arm. 'I know this will end at some point but I've been thinking about what you said. About finding a home. I want to do that now. I'll still travel but I want a place where you can visit me at.'

'You are?' He broke into a grin. 'Really?' She nodded. 'When did you decide this?'

'About five minutes after you brought it up.'

'When were you going to say something?'

'Well, I got distracted.'

'By what?' He looked confused.

'Some idiot's been kissing me every night. Keeps distracting me.' She looked at him, grinning slyly.

'You knew?'

'It's not the best built bed, when you move to kiss me it moves the bed, wakes me up.'

'You could have said something.' He wasn't convincing her that he was annoyed.

'And embarrass you? You're cute when you are but I'd rather just keep enjoying the kisses.' Cee gestured for him to help her to her feet. As he walked her to the bed, she held his arm tightly. 'Were you planning on just kissing me on the forehead then? Or my cheek?'

'Ah,' He floundered.

'I'm embarrassing you again.' Cee smiled. She settled on the bed and hauled herself so that she could sit up. 'Get your butt here beside me.' He took off his boots and then stretched out beside her, sitting up against the headboard with her.

'I would like to do more.' He finally answered and took her hand in his. He lifted it to his lips and kissed her fingers. 'How do you feel about it.'

'About kissing? I rather enjoy it.'

'About me kissing you.' He clarified his question.

'I'd enjoy that even more.' He took her up on her invitation, leaning over to her and kissing her properly for the first time. Her fingers wound into the curly mass of his hair, pulling him closer. His arms folded around her, keeping her steady and against him as their kiss drew out. Cee was the first to break the kiss, catching her breath. 'Definitely enjoying it.' She leaned against him, gently touching his face. 

'Up to your standards am I?'

'You'll do.' She teased him.

'I'll have to work on getting better then.' He kissed her again, letting it last until she was out of breath once more. She tugged on him to get him to move, getting him to straddle her. This time she initiated the kiss, exploring him with her tongue and lips. Her hands started to pull his shirt free from his trousers, loosening it. 'Please, no.' He whispered and pulled away from her, sitting back on his heels to avoid putting too much pressure on her legs. 

'Why?' she asked, running her hands over his chest. 'We want this.'

'Not this way.' He placed his hands over hers, stopping her. 'I couldn't do this not while you're still...' His eyes flicked down to her legs. 'It wouldn't be right. Not for our first.'

'Maybe I don't care?' She grabbed his shirt in her fist and pulled him back towards her, kissing him harder. 

He drew in a breath as he pulled away from her. 'I care. About you.'

She punched him lightly in the chest, her frustration showing for once. 'If we wait then the first time will be the last time because you'll be leaving.' 

'I wouldn't do that.' He told her, kissing her with less passion on her lips. 'Not to you. Not now. Not after this.'

'After a kiss?' 

'You think it was just a kiss?' He asked her. The Doctor ran a finger over her cheek, stroking her skin. 'This is a promise. I will never abandon you or leave you. We may not always be side by side but we'll always be connected.' His finger ran back up to her temple, touching her softly. He kissed her again, letting the connection build stronger. Her hands clutched his shirt tighter as the emotional tension between them started to ease, replaced with a warmth flooding through her consciousness. 

'Doctor?' She whispered. 'What am I feeling?'

'How I feel about you.' His lips moved over her neck and shoulders. 'Just as I feel you.'

'Is it the same?' She asked.

'Deeper.' He only needed the one word. Cee buried her face against his chest, trying to take in the entirety of the feelings. His arms went round her, hugging her. He started to pull back on the connection, but she stopped him. 'It's too much for you.'

'You're never going to be too much.' She told him as she put her hands on his arms, pulling them from around her to guide his hands to her temple. 'You said it was almost permanent?'

'It probably is. I was too long inside you during the surgery and then while you recovered.'

'Make sure it's permanent. I want you to be able to find me anywhere and anytime.'

'I shouldn't.' The Doctor told her quietly. 'You need to be yourself, not joined to me.'

'I will always be myself. You won't override that, no matter how hard you try.'

'Time Lords only do this when they bond permanently, thru regenerations.'

'Do you want your future selves to know me?'

'It would be their decision, not mine. I can't promise for the future. But the bond would always be there.' He told her honestly. 'There may be female regenerations, some you may hate or despise.'

'If it's the only way that you would be able to find me no matter where I am, then I want it.'

'You'll be able to sense me as long as I'm alive. When I regenerate you'll feel the bond shift and it may hurt. If I ever die, forever. You'll know.'

'And you'll know if I do?'

'Yes.' 

'Then do it.' She pressed his fingers closer.

He nodded and gazed into her eyes. 'Cee, I give myself to you in permanence for you to always know me.'

'Doctor, I bond my soul to yours.' Her gaze was locked onto his as she moved her hands from his to rest her fingertips on his temple. The connection flared between them. Her mouth opened as she tried to comprehend what she was feeling. It felt like threads of feelings were weaving between them, twining together and settling into the deepest parts of their consciousness. They started out thin and then thickened to anchor around thoughts and feelings. Slowly then Cee felt his hands peel away from her skin and she moved hers away from his temples. She leaned back against the pillows, her eyes closed. 

'Sorry, it may have been too intense.' He brushed her hair back, a slight sheen of sweat was on her forehead. 

'Overwhelming.' Cee just breathed hard for a few moments. 'That was like...'

'Like what?' He asked, curious to know how it would feel for someone human. 

'Like an orgasm.' She said softly. 'An orgasm but without your muscles tensing and then springing loose.'

'Graphic description but fitting.' He smiled and then bent to kiss her again, The passion for now was drowned out by the recent strong feelings from their bonding. They slid down and just lay beside one another.

'More exhausting than an orgasm.' Her chest rose and fell with deep breaths. 

'Thank you.' His voice was soft. 

'Mutual.' 

 

In the morning, Cee woke up and for a change he was still laying beside her. 'Where's my coffee?' She nudged him awake. 

'You don't want any this morning and I've already told the therapist that you're not up to exercises today.' He slipped an arm over her waist, keeping her to his side.

'How'd you know?' Cee blinked as she worked on waking up.

'The bond.' He told her. 'When we're this close we'll be able to tell what the other wants before you actually think of it.'

'I can sense you but I have no clue what you're thinking.' She casually pinched one of his nipples, getting a squeak of shock out of him. 'Not that I want to see what you're thinking.'

'You can't see what I'm thinking?' He raised his head from the pillow, looking intently at her.

'Nope.' Cee threatened to pinch him again but he caught her hand before she could. 

'Odd. Have you ever been telepathic?'

'Not at all. I've been on telepath planets and not a thing. I've learned how to read people the old fashioned way.'

Holding her hand tightly, he thought again expressing a desire to kiss her. He watched her eyes widen and then she was leaning into him, kissing him. He pulled her on top of him, keeping his legs out straight so she could rest comfortably, his hands around her waist to hold her close as she eagerly kissed him. They finally paused and she was looking down at him. 'I love you.' 

'Such a small word.' He smiled adoringly at her.

For a moment she pursed her lips and then broke into a huge smile. 'It is, isn't it.' She wound up kissing him again.

'Doctor?' Cee woke up about three weeks after the bonding, smacking him on the chest with her hand. Since then she had worked as hard as she could to build up her legs again. The feeling had slowly returned along with the functionality, the tingling sensation moving upwards as her nerve endings came alive again. 'Doctor!'

'Hm?' He took hold of her hand to stop her smacking him. 'What's wrong?'

'The feeling... it's back. The base of my spine, it's tingling!' 

'You sure? It's not just numbing?' He sat up beside her, thinking about the false alarm from a week ago when it was just a temporary pinched nerve.

'No, it's the same tingling.' She sat up and worked her legs off the edge of the bed. Levering herself up she made her way to the bathroom using the strategically placed chairs and table. Once in the washroom, she slid off her pj bottoms and began to pinch herself in various spots. 'Yes! Yes! Yes!' She said under her breath. Then Cee touched herself at first gently, closed her eyes as she realized she finally had almost full sensation back.

The Doctor stood beside the doorway, not looking in. He knocked softly on the door jamb. 'Cee? Okay?' He waited where he was, listening to her stand and with a few laboured steps joined him at the door. 'Cee?' He looked at her, holding his breath.

'I've got feeling again.' She told him in barely a whisper. 'Not 100% but I could feel pressure and a bit of pain when I pinched myself.' She placed her hand on his arm. 'I felt it when I touched myself.'

'That's... that's wonderful!' He grabbed her in his arms and lifted her up, kissing her. 'About time! You've been working so hard!'

'I know!' Cee squealed in his arms. She kept her arms around his neck as he set her back on her feet, kissing him as he bent down to her lips. 'I don't want to wait any longer.' She told him. He could already sense what she wanted but he knew it wasn't the right time. 

'Not yet, Cee. You're so close would another day or two wait matter?' He stroked her cheek. 

'I've waited over 6 months.' She reminded him.

'I know.' He continued to stroke her. 'Do you blame me?'

'No.' She rested her forehead on his chest. 'Do you blame me for wanting to fuck you right now?'

'Language.' He told her off by rote. 'And no.'

Unlike previous progress, the tingling didn't subside right away. It took four days. The therapist thought that it took longer as it was the end of the spinal column rather than just the nerve endings. But clear it did and the Doctor knew it even as she slept on through the night. It gave him the time he had hoped to have to make his plans work. Getting up as quietly as he could from the bed, he went barefoot rather than risk the noise of his boot heels. Judging by the moonlight, he thought it to be around 3 am. Cee wasn't likely to wake for another 3 hours. He left the room and headed to the TARDIS. In his bedroom, he changed into a fresh shirt, his favorite one. Cream colored, red buttons. His fingers ran over the collar, the stitched question marks that he'd had done as bit of a joke but that he found he liked. He changed into a pair of his burgundy trousers, buttoning them up. Suspenders went over his shoulders. Looking in the full length mirror, he thought about boots but didn't bother after all. He gathered up the candles and the blankets that he'd assembled over the past few weeks with care. Licking his lips, he could sense her, had been sensing her for the past four days. Her growing arousal had been almost unbearable and he had been reacting to it. The Doctor wasn't kidding himself that he'd kept it hidden from her but she'd been good about not commenting. 

Supplies in hand, he headed back to the room. Cee still slept on. Silently moving around the room, he moved the chairs and the table then he set out the candles on them. He laid all but one of the blankets on the bed, gently spreading them out over her sleeping form. He had originally regretted that he couldn't do this on the TARDIS, in his own bedroom so he had brought at least the best to her. Fishing into the pocket of his coat, he found a lighter. He couldn't disguise the sound of the flint strike but he went ahead and lit the candles. Cee started to stir as he was drawing the curtains close, blocking out the moonlight but more to keep them from being disturbed by the rising sun.

'What time's it?' She mumbled without opening her eyes yet.

'Four.' He answered her, standing at the side of the bed, gazing at her and feeling his hearts beat more slowly. 

'What's that scent?' Her nose sniffed and her eyes started to open, catching sight of the lit candles. 'Doctor?' She started to sit upright and felt the blankets. They were like satin but different. She looked at him, standing there. He held out his hand and she took it. She stood up in front of him, hands on his chest. The candles were filling the room with a subtle smoke that was relaxing her. 'The candles?'

He placed his hands on hers, 'Relaxation. We don't need to rush this.' Lifting her hands, he kissed each fingertip and then the palm of each hand. Her breathing got deeper but just as steady as his. 'The telepathic bonding first and now the physical.' His words seemed to caress her. She swallowed and then sighed as his fingers stroked her cheeks then his palms cradled her face. Her world was moving in slow motion, drawing out the feelings as he said, no need to rush. Tilting his head, he kissed her tenderly letting his lips linger on hers, then his tongue brushing over her lips. Her mouth opened and he slipped into her, tasting her with just the tip of his tongue. She returned the kiss, gently pushing against his tongue and past his lips, 

Cee pressed her palms against his chest. He could feel the urge in her fingertips as they spread over him, the tension flowing from each into his skin. It rode through his nerve endings, down his spine and into his groin. The barest hint of a groan sounded in the back of his throat. In response, he opened his mouth wider and she took the invitation. Her tongue drove further into his mouth, crushing her lips against his. The Doctor slid his hands from her face to wind his fingers into her hair. Pulling back, she had to breathe in deeply but she started to breathe quickly. 'Shh, don't rush. This is our time.' Her eyes moved rapidly over his face. 'Slowly.' He whispered, letting a finger softly trace the ridge of her eyebrows to calm her down. The touch and the candles helped to slow her eye movements.

He kissed her again, soft and slow. Her fingertips moved from his chest to the line of buttons. Cee's hand movements were deliberate easing each button open slowly. Drawing her lips away from his, she began to kiss his neck and over his skin as she exposed it. Her tongue darted out, touching and tasting him. Closing his eyes, he lost himself in the mix of their linked sensations. Cee started to find herself lost as well, losing track of her movements. He opened his eyes, pressed a fingertip against her temple and showed her how to control the intensity in her own mind. She focused again and eased the next button open, now below his chest and over his stomach. Soft curled brown hair brushed her fingers as she pressed her cheek against him. 

His large hands stroked her shoulders, down her arms and then down to her waist. He lifted her pajama top up to rest his hands on her waist. Another button on his shirt was eased open and her tongue darted over his skin. Her breath gently stirred the hair on his stomach. Another barely heard groan escaped him. His fingers slipped around to the small of her back, the most sensitive spot on her skin right now. His fingertips danced over her skin and he felt her tremble against his touch. Her teeth rasped against his skin. He lost control for a moment, pressing his hand hard against her back, pressing her against him. She bit his skin in reaction, the quick sharp pain brought him back and he released the pressure on her back. Her tongue quickly licked up the drop of blood that she had drawn from him and then gently kissed the spot where she had bit him. 

Fabric tugged out of the waistband of his trousers. He drew her back upright, kissing her. His hands moved up over her back, feeling her smooth skin. Sliding her top up to begin exposing her stomach and further, bringing his hands around from her back to rest just under her breasts. Her breathing deepened but remained slow. Breaking his kiss, she gasped into his neck. 'Touch me.' Cupping the round soft mounds with the palm of his hands, he found her lips again, sucking her lower lip between his. Another tremble ran through her as he brushed his thumbs over her erect nipples. He felt her fingertips digging into his sides, drawing in breath he felt her tongue drag over his skin, down his neck. He squeezed his eyes shut as she continued down to his chest. He caressed her breasts with his hands, fingertips exploring and dancing over her nipples. She gasped and then she grabbed his suspenders dragging them off his shoulders and then pulled his shirt off. 

'No rush.' He whispered in her ear. She took a deep breath, relaxed her hands on his waist and pressed her lips against his right nipple. Slowly he took the hem of her top in his fingers and eased it up over her breasts. They parted just enough for him to raise it over her head and let the thin top fall to the ground. He had to remind himself of the same thing: go slowly. His lips found her neck, then her shoulders. His tongue traced along the upper curve of her breasts and then down over the soft skin between them. Her hands tangled into his hair, trying to guide him towards her right nipple. He gave in and let her move him until his lips circled her nipple, drawing the erect point between his lips. Her heart beat sounded loud in his head, just under her breast. He sucked hard on her skin to the point where she arched towards his mouth. Then he moved to her left nipple and did the same until she reached the same point. Then he pulled back, looking at her fully for a moment. 'You are beautiful.' He told her as he gazed into her eyes, fingers stroking her cheek lightly. 

'So are you.' Her hands ran over his chest. 'Handsome, strong.' Her tongue ran over her lips and she moved her hands down to his waist and teased open the top button of his trousers. The trail of brown hair led from his belly and under his trousers, exposed to her touch. She tugged gently on the curls before opening the second button of his trousers. One more button opened was enough for her hands to slip around the waist and loose enough to drop past his hips. No other clothes stood between them aside from her own trousers and these he was easily able to push down with his hands. Neither of them were looking at anything other than each others eyes. Naked now, he gathered her against his body kissing her deeply. She moaned in response. 

The Doctor guided her backwards to the bed, easing her back gently still mindful of her weakened legs. With his strong hands he moved her to the center of the bed, the gossamer feel of the blankets were heightened by their slowed senses. Candle light danced over her nude form as he gazed over her. Laying there, she finally let her eyes take in his whole body. His erection seemed to defy gravity. He leaned onto the bed on one knee, his hands gliding over her thighs and pushing her legs apart. Fingers slipped up the inner thighs to her sex. Her arousal invited his touch, slick and wet. He watched her reaction to his fingertip gliding between her folds and barely touching her clitoris. Slowly, he told himself but he began to lose the battle of his will against his needs. She was losing as well as he felt her hand tangling in his pubic hair. He didn't stop her hand moving down to finally touch his penis. Both knees were on the bed know, between her legs. Leaning over her, he found himself drawn to her lips again to kiss them and drink her in. Her hand was now guiding him towards her. He shifted slightly, lining up for her to pull him in. 

She cried out with pleasure as he eased inside her, feeling her surround him, swallow him. Her arms circled his body, clutching him as he balanced himself on top of her. He thrust into her with long deep movements. She moved her legs to open up more to him, letting him get even deeper inside. Their lips joined, his tongue driving into her as if he wanted her both ways at the same time. It felt too soon but the ache inside him peaked and he felt his body snap with his orgasm, pumping into her until he felt drained but he didn't stop yet, he couldn't until she did the same. Cee's face displayed her orgasm, screwing up with tension ready to release and when it did, she moaned and arched against him. He felt her muscles ripple around him, tightening and then loosening in waves until she relaxed under him, still trembling. 

He got up from on top of her, grabbed the other blanket that he had laid to one side and laid it over her, slipping under it beside her. She moved onto her side, not caring that one leg didn't quite move properly to rest on the other one. He faced her, laying on his side, resting a hand on her hip. Their kisses were less hungry, more gentle. The candles' aroma helped their heart rates slow down keeping them relaxed. She pushed against him, getting him to lay on his back so she could curl up tight against him. He reached down to her right thigh and helped move her leg to drape over his. He sensed that she was about to speak but he didn't need her to voice it. He laid a finger over her lips, stopping her. He guided her hand to his breastbone, squarely between his hearts. The double beat was strong and steady and tonight solely for her. She accepted and rested her head against his chest, just breathing with him.

 

Cee's body ached as she woke up a few hours later. Looking up she could see the barest hint of the sunshine in the covered windows. 'Gonna be late.' She mumbled but didn't move. His hand moved over her back, stroking her skin gently. 

'Don't worry. I left a message for them earlier telling them today was off.' He was enjoying this laying together.

'How'd you know?' The Doctor just lifted his finger to her temple, touching it softly. 'Ah, right. Still getting used to that.'

'It will come.' He told her with a smile. 

'What excuse did you use this time? That way I don't mess it up tomorrow when they ask me about being off.'

'Told them it was our anniversary.' He rubbed the side of his nose, grinning.

'Anniversary?' She looked confused.

'I told them of our marriage, trying to explain bonding would have been a bit much.'

'But we only did that about a month ago, not a year.'

'When you get married, the couple exchange vows and then usually consummate it, right?' 

'Yeah. You said though it wasn't a marriage just to be able to sense each other no matter what.'

'Try to explain that to a simple human.' He sniffed a bit at the thought. 'Anyway, a telepathic bonding doesn't require a physical bonding afterwards but traditional customs do include it and are quite welcome by most. Last night was our physical bonding.'

'Still not our anniversary.' She told him.

'First time together, we can call it our pre-anniversary between us.' He winked and she couldn't help but laugh. He pulled her close and kissed her. They spent the rest of their day off lying about naked in bed, enjoying each others company. 

The next day became, for Cee anyway, the denouement of their time together. A small part of her did want to put off the end of it by not working so hard but there was the overwhelming need to walk again. Without that she couldn't go through the rift and without that she felt only a fraction of herself, hardly alive. It was now just another few weeks of hard exercise and then the morning came.

'That's it,' The therapist said, having just watched Cee manage to walk on her own around the room without being in distress or discomfort. It was still slow and awkward but only time would cure that, time and practice. The therapist brought over the cane that they had had made for her, adjusted to her height. 'Now, use this and go around again.' With the cane, Cee was more easily able to get around faster.

'Does it have like a hidden compartment in it, for like a gun or for booze?' Cee asked with a grin. The Doctor just gave her a look that she was being nonsensical. 'C'mon, can't a woman have some fun?'

The therapist had gotten used to their manner of talking to one another. To this day he just believed that they were a long-married couple. 'Cee, I can't do anything more to help you now. Just get out and get walking. You'll know when you're done with the cane.'

'Thank you,' Cee was grateful and gave him a big hug. The Doctor came over and shook the therapist's hand, offering his gratitude as well. With that they headed back to their room but neither of them were jumping for joy at what was to happen next.

'I've spoken to the Brigadier.' The Doctor began quietly, sitting across from her at the small table, nursing a cup of coffee. 'They've already arranged for a passport for you. He'll be happy to convey you back to Canada.' The shadow in his eyes was the only sign of his regret that he couldn't just take her home in the TARDIS.

Cee stared at her own coffee cup, not looking at him. 'That's kind of them. I can't wait to see the hospital bill arrive in the mail.' She tried to joke but it wasn't risen to by the Doctor. 'It's where I can be at the rift again. Where I'm familiar with it.'

'You're still planning on making your home near there?'

'For now. I don't have to stay here on Earth, you know. I can try and find a place on another planet.' She looked up at him finally, a hint of panic in her eyes. 'You will be able to find me anywhere right?'

'Of course. We're bonded.'

'Yeah, except I can't do the same.' She was still bitter about her inability to sense him the same way. It always had to be him sending out a strong enough force for her to find him.

The Doctor covered his eyes with his hand. 'I told you that once you had settled into a new place, I'll set up a means for you to contact me. I promise you I will. And you'll still be able to sense when I'm near you.'

'Yeah, we just don't know the range yet.' Cee was turning her cold cup of coffee around and around but not drinking it. 'Or if it'll cross time.'

'Cee, please.' The Doctor finally looked at her. 'Why are we making this hard on ourselves?'

'Then leave. Go. You got it easy, the TARDIS right there.' She waved towards the commons. 'I can make it on my own from here. When you track me down, you do and you can show up with flowers or something.'

'Is that what you want?' He looked at her intensely.

'Yeah, just go.' She waved him away. 'I'll be on a plane by night anyway. Fucking go.'

'No, not on that note.' He stood and held out a hand to her. She got up and found her in his arms, being held tightly. 'I'll see you again soon.' He told her and then kissed her for a long few minutes. Only then did he leave the room they had shared over the past months for the last time.

Cee swallowed hard at the sound of the door closing behind him. Looking around the room, the only thing that she cared to bring with her was the one shirt, his favourite cream-coloured one, still hanging there in the closet. Grabbing it, she folded it and placed it in the bag she had already packed up in anticipation. 'Brigadier?' She called him on the phone. 'Can I get a lift to the airport?'


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Cee begins establishing a home.

Cee walked along the mountain ridge as she headed back through the slightly heavier gravity of the world she’d found herself on. It made for a longer walk for her. Hefting her backpack with her change of clothes and the usual odds and ends she carried with her made it an even harder walk. It was definitely time, she thought to herself, to find herself a place to call home. 

It had been eight months since she’d regained the ability to walk. She hadn’t stopped walking since. Now, she was tired and ready to do as she had promised the Doctor - find a home. Cee kept on up the mountain. Arriving at the mountain peak where the rift portal was, she turned around to look once more at the valley she’d opted to explore. The beauty of it was still breath-taking and she didn’t regret the effort it had taken to walk the riverside along the length of the valley. 

Eight months and the thought of where to make her home. Standing at the portal point, Cee opened it and let her mind reach out through the paths. She was always drawn back to the portal where she originated from. It was her home but the memories never faded. The screams of her brother and her parents as the rift took them but it drew her back. Timing would be important. She had decided to go back in time before the house she had grown up in had been built, well before her family would be there. Then, she could start to put things in place to make it hers again well after the accident. 

The rift beckoned her and she walked through. Instinct was what she operated on when it came to walking the rift. If anyone ever asked her how she knew she would never be able to explain it. It was a feeling that she got of what was on the other end. If it was an environment that she couldn’t survive in, she got a sensation of danger and warning. With a destination that was favourable, it was an invitation. If the exit point was one that anchored and could open in any time, she pictured it as a clock. Not the most precise of clocks but getting to a general time frame was possible. Others blinked open and closed, those were the ones that were fixed in both space and time. Others waved about like grass in a stream, set in motion by the water. 

Make a home for herself, the Doctor had told her, and there he would find her. Standing in front of the portal, she let her mind open and could sense him in the far distance but not by a portal point. Cee held her breath, hoping that he would land somewhere she could reach him but it was wasted. The only outward sign of how she felt was her clenched fist. Then the moment passed, her fist opened and she stretched out her fingers to relax them. Fixing her destination in her mind, Cee stepped through the rift. 

Moments later, the flare of the rift opening made her close her eyes and then her feet were on solid ground once more. Cee stood in the center of a forest clearing. The first thought in her mind was that she had got the place wrong but the familiar feeling of ‘home’ made her dismiss the thought. No, this was the right place. Perhaps it was the time she’d got wrong? Cocking her head to one side, she checked and knew she’d got it right. Woods then. The area her childhood home had been built on must have been forested at one point. They weren’t tall trees so not a massive old wood forest. Fair enough, Cee told herself. What to do now, that was the next question. 

With the portal closed, Cee strolled around the clearing to take stock. There was a good deal of undergrowth around but the area directly surrounding the rift was left with just grass. It was almost a perfect circle as well. So the last activation of the rift here had been only as recently as it took grass and weeds to grow about four inches high. A question she really didn't care to answer for herself. Only after a few scans around the clearing did she notice the break in the undergrowth. Walking over to it she headed along the path until it came to a wider break in the woods. This path was fresher, made more recently. Turning back, Cee returned to the clearing and shrugged off her backpack. She found a broken branch on one of the trees and hung it up off the ground. Heading back to the path to do a bit more exploring Cee noticed the shallow indentations clustered around some of the trees. With a quick thought she opened the rift and every small pit was directly in front of it. 

Her laughter broke the silence of the woods. Someone had found this spot and realized that there could be some rich pickings from what spilled out of the rift at times. Cee was guilty of the same. Often enough she’d found gems and chunks of debris that could be turned to ready cash easily and on just about any society that had advanced some form of economy. Returning to the wider path, Cee continued along it for some time. The scars of tire tracks in the grass told her exactly how the person or persons who were raiding the portal got to it. They were driving as close as they could to it before walking. Whatever they took could then be quickly driven off in a car or small truck. The light was beginning to fade as the sun went down so it was only in the dusk of early evening that she came to the road. It was paved and two lanes wide. Large enough for a decent amount of traffic. The track leading towards the rift clearing was hard to see thanks to bushes. Whoever drove along it would be running a risk that their car was high enough off the ground to clear the low lying brush.

The sound of a car coming down the road prompted Cee to stand back into the trees. As it drove by, Cee smiled. It must be sometime in the early to mid-50’s judging by the type of car that passed her. A plan began to form in her mind. All it would take was some of her own funds and a fair walk. Whoever was raiding the rift debris here was going to very quickly learn that it would no longer be profitable for them. 

Days later, Cee had located a few nuggets of precious metals from the rift debris that had been missed. Coupled with the funds she had on her, it would be enough for her purposes. Now, it was time to go for a walk. Having established the rift point and the road she had found, Cee knew that it would be a few hours of walking but she would find herself in the center of her home town. Decades before her parents would be moving into the new subdivision at the time. But the woods were still here right now. One thing she did want to find out was if the land was owned by someone yet or not. 

One thing about the 50’s, Cee thought after walking a short ways towards the town center, they didn’t fear hitchhikers. The hours long walk she expected turned out to be a 20 minute drive in a Chev Townsman thanks to the kindness of a fellow by the name of Albert on his way home from a visit to his grandmother. He’d given Cee a few odd looks as she had opted to wear trousers rather than a dress, which would have been normal for women of the time. But Cee pulled it off by acting as if she were more used to being on a farm than in town. Arriving in town, Cee made her way to the local jeweller’s first. If anyone would want to buy small amounts of gold without much questioning, it would be them. Having small amounts on hand to manufacture rings and other jewellry was common. Plus they would have the means to pay right away.

‘Hello?’ Cee called out as she entered the small shop. 

‘Good afternoon, miss. How can I help you?’ The jeweller emerged from his workshop in the back. 

‘I’m wondering if you buy small amounts of gold at reasonable prices.’ Cee asked. 

‘I do. What do you have?’ The middle aged man stood behind his display case of rings. 

‘Here, have a look.’ Cee drew the small pouch out of her pocket and loosened the drawstring. She had 10 small nuggets of gold resting in the palm of her hand. ‘I’m hoping to be able to get a car and a small camper out of this.’

‘Where did you get these?’ He asked, curious.

‘My grandfather used to say he knew of a place he could pan for gold.. Never got much but he had enough to give each of his grandkids some when he passed on.’

‘My condolences,’ The jeweller said softly. His fingers were picking up one of the nuggets and he was soon peering at it through his loupe. ‘Very high quality from what I can see. Is this all you have.’

‘For now.’ Cee said, hinting at more to come. 

He made a noise as he picked up another nugget and looked at it as well. Leaving them in her care, he got a small scale and began to weigh them out. Next, he returned with a kit and began to test the pieces. As he performed them his eyebrows edged up higher and higher. Once he had tested them all, he looked Cee in the eye. ‘I hope your grandfather told you where to pan for gold. This is all 20 karat gold. It potentially could be 24 karat but I don’t have the means to test for that. Based on the amount, I’d have to admit that I can’t buy it all at once.’

‘How much then right now?’

The jeweller took four of the nuggets and placed the remaining six in her pouch. ‘Three thousand dollars. That will get you your car and camper van. Some spare if you get a good deal. Paying cash, you should.’

Cee held out her hand and shook his. ‘Deal.’

‘Give me a few weeks and I’ll buy the rest from you. For the last six nuggets, I’ll give you nine thousand. I just need to get the funds.’

‘Doesn’t have to be all at once.’ Cee said and then she had a thought. ‘On your door, it says you’ve been established here for over fifty years. Your father?’

‘Grandfather and father. I’m third generation. My son is apprenticing currently. My name is George.’ 

‘George. How good is your safe?’

‘My safe? Highest quality. Needs to be with the goods I trade in. Why?’

‘How do you feel about keeping my gold in your safe and then when I need to get some money, you buy it off me. Then it’s safe and I know I can count on you to give me a fair deal. Obviously, if it’s 24 karat and you’re buying it at 20 karat value…’ Cee looked at him knowingly.

‘Of course. I’ll have to get the appropriate test kit now,’ George looked at Cee. ‘I can have an agreement written up.’

‘Is it needed?’ Cee looked at him. ‘Agreements are only needed if there’s a lack of mutual trust.’  
George stepped out from around the display case and held out his hand to Cee. They shook on the agreement and Cee handed over the pouch of gold to him while George handed her an envelope of cash. Leaving the jewellers shop, Cee grinned to herself. George Jameson III, owner of Jameson Jewellers. Cee knew that the shop would still be there when her parents moved in. It’s where they had bought their wedding rings. 

Next stop was the used car lot. There she purchased a used camper and a sturdy car. Camper in tow, Cee got to the hardware shop and was lucky to find a chainsaw for sale. After stocking up some food, she was on the road back to the rift portal. Pulling into the hidden trackway, Cee took her time to make sure there was enough clearance for the camper but found she had to stop to cut down some smaller trees with the chainsaw. Getting to the end of the trackway, Cee parked the car temporarily. She would need to spend a few days to clear out enough space to turn the car around and leave the camper there. For now though, it was time to relax and eat. 

It wound up taking almost two weeks for Cee to clear enough trees to make space for the car and the camper closer to the rift portal. By that time, she needed to return to town and get more gas for the chainsaw and more food supplies. She made a point to go to the jeweller’s where George introduced her to his son, Grant, and invited her to have lunch with them. They made a further arrangement where it was agreed that for whatever gold Cee brought him, the value would go on the books and he would pay her as needed leaving him free to use the gold as he needed. He also confirmed that all of the gold she had given him so far was indeed 24 karat gold and they came to a fair price for the remaining six nuggets. When she pulled out a further 10 nuggets, Grant warned his father about the volume they were handling now.

‘Grant, I’m not asking for everything at once.’ Cee assured him. ‘What I'm looking for is a steady supply. Getting the gold for you is easy. Getting the cash, that’s the hard part. But only if I want lump sums. Gold will never drop in value, only go up. Turn it into beautiful jewellry and that value gets higher. I don’t care what you make off it as jewellry. I just need a source for funds. I have a few goals that I want to reach and that’s why you and your father are going to be important for me. But I also need this to be a very long term arrangement.’

‘How long term?’ George asked. 

Cee sat back in her chair and chose her words carefully. Looking first at George and then at Grant, she said ‘A lifetime.’

George caught the look between Cee and his son. ‘Grant?’

‘I can agree to that.’

‘Good.’ Cee said and began to get up, as if to leave. 

‘Should we not draw up a contract? An agreement of some sort?’ Grant asked. 

‘Do we need one?’ Cee asked, an eyebrow arching up in question.

‘I’ve made my agreement with you, Cee,’ George said. ‘It’s between you and Grant.’ With that he left the room. Grant looked mildly confused.

‘Your father and I shook on it before. I trust him and he trusts me. Do you trust me, Grant?’

‘I know you’re willing to take a minor loss, but I’ve only just met you.’ Grant said. 

Cee wandered around the room until she was in front of him again. ‘I trust you, Grant, because I know that there will be a fifth generation of Jameson running this store. 

‘But I’m the fourth.’ Grant stopped for a moment, processing what she had said. ‘What do you know?’

‘I know enough to tell you that you will succeed in this business just like your father, your grandfather and your great-grandfather. And that you will share that success with your own children.’ Cee watched Grant’s face. 

‘My children?’ Grant asked.

‘Yes.’ Cee assured him. ‘I’m asking for a lifetime agreement. With you. When your children succeed you, I’ll make a similar agreement with them.’

‘You’ll be retired by then.’

‘Think it through, Grant.’ Cee told him. 

‘You…’ Grant put the pieces together of what she was implying. ‘But that’s not…’

‘Would I tell you this if I didn’t trust you?’

‘No. It’s hard to grasp.’ Grant scratched his head. 

‘I won’t always be around but I’ll drop by often. When I do, that’s when I’ll need there to be no surprise or argument. You see me today and whenever you do see me in the future, I’ll likely look the same. Your father won’t notice but you will. The agreement between us, it has to last a lifetime. Yours. Mine will outlast yours.’

Grant swallowed hard, unsure for a moment, but then he nodded. ‘Lifetime agreement.’ 

The days passed as Cee continued to work on the portal clearing to make it more comfortable for herself, only going into town for supplies and cash as she needed too. Time passed and she forgot about the small pits that had been dug by someone in the past. Having settled somewhat, Cee went back to her walking when the urge took her. One day, returning from a trip to a planet that had high concentrations of gold to collect some nuggets, Cee arrived back through the rift surprising a young man in the clearing. 

‘Hello there.’ Cee said to him, as he stumbled back away from the rift. 

‘Who are you?’ The man managed to recover and was standing up again. ‘This is my patch. This all your shit?’ He gestured towards the camper and car. 

‘Your patch? Didn’t realize that there was an owner of the woods. You should have posted no trespassing signs.’ Cee walked past him, to hang up her backpack on the hook by the door to the camper. She noticed the lock had been tampered with. ‘Tried to get in did you?’

‘Yeah, well, seems like you’ve cleaned up all the gold here. There were more readings last time I was here.’ The fellow started to look more menacingly at Cee. ‘Give me the gold, it’s mine.’

‘Yours?” Cee asked with a raised eyebrow. ‘Got a reciept for it? Need you to prove ownership.’ Instead of answering her, he reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a revolver. ‘Oh, really? Is that your claim to ownership?’

‘Yeah, darling. It is. And if you hand over my gold now, I’ll walk away and never come back.’ 

Cee just started to laugh. ‘Do you honestly think that I would believe you? You’ve been working this spot for a while now thinking that it’s likely to just keep giving up bits of gold. News flash for you buddy, this little ‘gold mine’ of yours is now dried up and won’t be of any use to you now. So, be glad that you got what you did out of it and toddle on home.’

‘Killing you don’t mean a thing to me.’ He said, waving the gun at her. ‘No one comes out here much so you’d be just a rotted pile of mush by the time anyone found you. I want my gold. Now.’

Cee shook her head at him. ‘No. The gold is mine. So is this spot. You threaten me.. I can see to it that you’re nothing more than a pile of ash. And you wouldn’t even know it. I don’t want to do that but I will. I don’t care about you nor do I care about what you scavenged before from here. I’m just telling you that you're not getting anything more out of it. So, leave and live. Stay and die. Your choice.’

‘Bitch.’ He raised the gun to fire it at her so Cee gestured with her hand and the rift flared open. ‘What the hell!’ He staggered backwards, his intent to shoot her gone. 

‘If the light of the rift reaches even one part of your body you will die. Instantly.’ Cee told him coldly. ‘This is why there’s gold here. Washed up here like driftwood on a beach. I control this rift. Make your choice.’

‘What? You? That .. that…’ The man was stammering now, mesmerized by the rift opening. Cee motioned again and it grew larger, edging towards him. He moved back further away from it. ‘I just want the gold, bitch. Give it to me.’

‘You no longer have any bargaining power.’ Cee said. ‘I offer you life or death. Which do you choose?’

Regaining his footing and composure, the man turned back towards Cee with his revolver raised. ‘Yeah, you got pretty fireworks but I’ve got a gun. Give me the gold now.’ 

‘No. And I’m getting tired of this. You get one last chance to leave and live.’

‘I’m tired of this bullshit too.’ He took a few steps closer, his hand no longer shaking. ‘I’ll just put a bullet between your eyes and take my time raiding your shit.’ 

Cee sighed as he saw his finger start to squeeze the trigger. ‘Sorry.’ She muttered and then she flicked open her hand and the rift quickly engulfed the man. He only managed a brief scream before it ended as a small pile of ash drifted to the ground along with a soft thud of the metal gun dropping beside the ash. Cee closed the rift and just looked at the ash for a moment. Rubbing her hands together as if to warm them up, she stepped over to the ash and scrubbed at it, grinding it into the earth. Picking up the revolver she checked the bullets in it and took them out. ‘You made your choice, stranger.’ Her voice sounded harsh to her own ears. 

‘Prove to me you're better than them.’ The Doctor’s words haunted her memory. Closing her eyes as if she could shut out the echoes of the past, Cee turned away from the scuffed earth and went to her camper. There was still a lot of work to be done to make it more of a home for herself.


	5. Buried Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which buried memories come back briefly for Cee

More months passed as Cee finished making a home in the clearing by the rift portal. She’d done some more research as well and knew that it wouldn’t be until the late 70’s when this land would be sold for development which left her over 15 years to stay in one spot and build up the funds she would need for the future. Her business arrangement with the Jameson’s was cemented now and they were managing the selling of the gold she’d left in their care very carefully. It had been a bit of a surprise to her to find Grant flirting with her every time she visited. 

‘Grant,’ Cee said one day, ‘Please stop that.’ 

‘What?’ Grant looked at Cee in surprise. His father had left them to talk to lock up the latest batch of gold nuggets Cee had brought in. 

‘You’re flirting with me. It’s not me that has your children. And while it’s tempting to give in and sleep with you, it wouldn’t work in the end.’

Grant blushed fiercely. ‘I didn’t mean to imply or..’ 

‘I get it, Grant. Believe me, I get it. You’re not the first one to flirt with me and you won’t be the last. If it weren’t for the business agreement we have I’d probably have already taken you up on the offer but I want this to be amicable for a long time. Plus, if we did, you’d see me stay the same and I would watch you grow old. I’m not willing to do that.’

Grant nodded. ‘I’m sorry. I forget about that all the time. It’s hard to grasp still.’

‘Believe me, it took me some time to get used to it myself. I’ve already clocked up over 50 years.’

‘Fifty?” Grant looked shocked. ‘You can’t be!’

‘I am.’

‘You look like you’re just in your early 20’s.’ 

‘See what I’m saying?’ Cee shrugged. 

‘I think I’m learning now.’ Grant smiled and took Cee’s hand in his. He kissed her hand and looked at her for a moment. ‘If things had been different I would be proposing to you right now. As it is, I’d like to think that we could be friends as well as business associates going forward.’

“That sounds good to me, Grant.’ Cee returned his smile and then George was back with a tally of what they had in the safe and what she’d made so far from it. After signing off on the amount and cashing in what she needed for the moment, Cee said her goodbyes and was on her way again. 

Supplies in the trunk, Cee was driving along the road towards her home in the woods. It was only a 20 minute drive but it was while she was on her way back that something in the back of her mind began to push her to drive faster. An urge began to grow in her to get home, get back, get to the rift. Cee’s hands gripped the wheel harder and her foot pushed down further on the gas. She was speeding and she didn’t care to notice. All that mattered to her suddenly was to get to the rift. 

By the time she pulled up behind her camper, Cee was in a fog. As if in a dream, she went inside to the camper and got the revolver she had kept from the wannabe thief and loaded it with the bullets. With the safety on, she slipped it into her trouser pocket, pulled on her dark jacket and headed to the rift. Something called to her from it and she was answering the call. 

Cee stood in front of the rift, holding it open as she felt the pull. There was something.. no, it was someone.. close to the rift that she needed to meet. With her eyes closed, she tried to understand why and to clear the fog but nothing helped. Instead, going in blind, she entered the rift. 

The planet was one she’d never been to before. Two moons were high in the sky, one with a yellow tinge to it. Taking in a deep breath, she smelt pollution and garbage. There was nothing clean about this place. A loud noise broke the air and glancing behind her Cee saw a spaceship rising from a launchpad and shearing off into the night sky. A feeling of disgust washed through her even as the smell of tobacco and sweat filled her nostrils. Drawn by the scent, Cee walked through the dark streets and alleys until the scent was close to overwhelming her senses. A bar entrance was where she had wound up. Going inside, Cee went to the bar and ordered a drink. A fog still rested over her mind and she just stood, listening and sipping on her drink. The scent grew stronger but she didn’t move.

Behind her, she heard a voice. ‘Tha’s righ’. Black Jack is plannin’ ‘nother heist. Won’ tell us nothin’. No’ surprisin’. Never tells us nothin’.’

Cee’s back went rigidly straight and she looked right in front of her. A stained mirror behind the rows of bottles only gave her a rough glimpse of the man. The face, the voice, the smell. It all woke a memory in her of a cold metal floor and a scarred face. Her hand slipped into her pocket to grip the handle of the revolver but the voice faded as did the scent. Turning around, Cee could only make out the back of the one who’d been speaking. As the man walked away, the fog began to clear but left behind was the thought that she needed to be prepared for the next time. Must be ready, she thought. Had to be. 

Another bar patron knocked into her and the fog was shaken from her finally. Cee left the bar and without thinking about anything else for the moment she returned to the rift portal. As she opened it, she marked the memory of the location and time in her mind. Just in case, her thoughts told her. She was left once more without a clear thought except for wanting to get home. 

The familiar flash of the rift opening and then stepping through to be drawn along the path until she was exiting back at her home. Cee didn’t understand why, but she fell to her knees and cried until she was exhausted to the point of crawling into her bed in the camper and sleeping for a long time. 

When she next woke up, there was just the barest dim memory of a woman in blue


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which the Doctor and Cee reconnect and have a philosophical difference

White walls and the grey metal of the TARDIS console grated on the Doctor at that moment. Sarah Jane was home, safe and sound. The Time Lords had played with him once more. Turning him to their needs as it suited them and then leaving him to pick up the pieces of himself afterwards. Of course, the Master had to have been involved. The Doctor left the TARDIS in free flight without a destination punched in yet. As it did so, he went to his rooms and had a long bath. Once he felt clean again, he got dressed and returned to the console room. Fishing his yo-yo out of his pocket, he paced around the console and sending the yo-yo up and down almost as a way to focus himself. He lost track of how many circuits he made around the console before his thoughts turned to Cee. It struck him that it had been at least three years for him without her. 

How long for her though? He thought. ‘Am I always going to be this bad?’ The TARDIS only returned silence to his question. The Doctor wrapped the string of the yo-yo around itself and let it drop back into his pocket. With newfound determination, his fingers were dancing with practiced moves to start setting coordinates. When it came to the final set, he paused and closed his eyes. Diving deep into his mind he found the link to Cee and located her. With the final part of the coordinates laid in, it was just the last lever to throw and he’d be heading her way. His hand froze over it. Would she still be as welcoming? They had parted quickly, no long words or kisses. Go on, leave. Till next time. That’s how it had been when they left one another. The Doctor knew he had to do this. Find out if it had been the right thing to do or not. It couldn’t be undone, the bonding. There was no regret in his head or in his hearts, the Doctor knew that.

The lever was thrown and the time rotor began it’s rising and falling. 

The Doctor began to pace again, worried. He wanted to know, wanted to be with her again. The TARDIS stopped, landing with its usual whining noise. With a flick, the door was opening and he was stepping out into the clearing. It was early morning, judging by the sun, he thought. His eyes were drawn to the camper to one side. Certainly not what he had expected of a home, but Cee was the one who had to decide what she wanted. It was obvious to him that she was there, sensing her easily with how close he was to her. Stepping to the door of the camper, he knocked softly on it with no answer. After a second knock, there was still no response. He reached his mind out to her and saw her fast asleep. 

Opening the door, he quietly stepped inside and had to duck because of the low ceiling. His eyes adjusted to the low light until he could make her out sleeping on the bed that stretched sideways along the back of the camper. There were three cupboards above the bed and a flower pattern curtain across the back window. He smiled at the set up. Comfortable enough for her but he had a fleeting notion that he would never manage. He would have better luck on the longer cushioned bench on the one side of the camper. He gazed down at her as she slept on, ignorant of his presence for now. The Doctor waited some time until she turned in the bed and there was room enough for him to sit beside her on the edge. When he did, he could feel the bed move slightly with his weight. Bending over, he kissed her on the forehead and then brushed his fingers over her temple to just brush lightly on her skin and in her mind. 

That did the trick and she began to rouse from her sleep. ‘Been a while,’ She mumbled sleepily. ‘Less I’m dreaming again.’ 

‘I can be a dream if you like.’ He answered her quietly. ‘I would rather be real though.’ 

‘But if you stay a dream I don’t ever have to wake up.’ Her eyes remained closed but she was smiling. 

‘Waking up means you get more than just a kiss on the forehead.’ The Doctor tempted her and was pleased to see her open her eyes and shifting on the bed towards him. 

‘You took your time.’ She accused but not seriously.

‘Sorry, how long has it been?’ The Doctor was brushing her hair back behind her ears as he spoke. 

‘Fourteen months. You?’ 

‘Three years. I got a bit distracted.’ He looked sheepish until Cee lifted herself into a sitting position and motioning to him to join her. Sitting up himself there was enough room for him to stretch his legs out. Not that he was left to just sit there chastely, Cee was soon on top of him, kissing him and running her hands through his tangled brown curls. 

‘Yeah, you’re real.’ Cee said after final stopping to breathe. ‘I missed you, Doctor.’

‘And I you,’ He smiled at her before taking her hand and kissing it. ‘I was travelling with another companion. Sarah Jane. She kept me hopping about.’

‘I sensed you once, you know.’ Cee told him. ‘You were close to a rift portal but not close enough for me to travel there and meet you.’

‘Oh? That’s a surprise. A very pleasant one.’

‘I know.’ Cee took hold of his scarf, playing with it as she still sat on his lap. ‘Did you…’

‘Of course I sensed you. I always feel you in a corner of my mind. I told you I would. I just..’ The Doctor looked away from her.

‘What?’ Cee prompted him to continue.

‘I don’t want to visit you unless I’m alone.’ He rushed it out. ‘I don’t want to share you with a companion.’

‘Because you travel with them? Not me?’

‘Yes.’ 

‘I can’t promise the same to you, you know.’ Cee told him. ‘I’ve had lovers since we parted ways last time.’

‘Of course.’ The Doctor wasn’t surprised. 

‘It doesn’t bother you?’ Cee asked. 

‘Why would it?’ He asked, genuinely curious. ‘Me expecting you to save yourself for me when we’re apart would be ridiculous. When I regenerate and if I opt to not visit you that would mean a long wait for you.’ Here he paused and rested a hand on her cheek. ‘Plus I know you too well now, Cee. Sex is something you seek out. Not love. Just sex.’

Her hands were tugging on his scarf to keep them busy. ‘Yeah, sex.’ Cee pursed her lips. ‘What if.. what if you walk in on me and I don’t sense you. What then?’

‘I’d leave and wait until you were free. I’m not your keeper, Cee. I’m bonded to you, yes, but not your keeper.’ The Doctor was caught off guard by her leaning against him, her arms around his neck and burying her face into his neck. He held her close until she pulled back, her eyes wet and red from crying. ‘Cee?’

‘I don’t want to do anything that will push you away, Doctor. If you were to see me with someone else, you’ll probably hate me for it.’

‘No I wouldn’t, Cee, believe me. We’re both in the same boat, aren’t we? We’ll always have times when we’re separate by choice or need. We knew that, didn’t we?’ Cee nodded at his question. ‘We accepted it too, right?’ Another nod. His fingers wiped her tears away. ‘You have a life to lead of your own, as do I. What you do in that life is your decision, the same for me. I’m not going to sit here and hold you to a different measuring stick than myself. I’m not going to rule out being intimate with others myself while we’re apart. What will never change is how I feel about you.’ He lifted his hands and paused before touching her temples, waiting on her agreement. When she nodded, he rested the tips lightly on her skin and let the bonded emotions between them wash over her like a blanket. 

Cee sighed and closed her eyes, enjoying the connection. When he lifted his fingers from her temples, she opened her eyes. ‘Thank you.’

‘It’s mutual.’ He reminded her. Cee leaned against him again, relaxed this time. They sat like that for a long time until Cee finally got up. 

‘Want some coffee?’ She asked, slipping into a pair of shoes to keep her feet warm against the cool floor of the camper. 

‘Please.’ He got up after her, sitting on the bench to watch her set up the coffee. ‘Cozy little place here.’

‘Don’t knock it, Doctor. It’s no TARDIS but it suits me fine.’ Cee waved a spoon at him in warning as she fixed herself a bowl of cereal. 

‘The bed is a little…’ He looked at it and then shot her a quirky look. ‘Short?’

‘Key word being ME.’ Cee shot back at him. 

‘We could go do a bit of shopping around.’ The Doctor said, grinning slightly as she turned on him. Cee caught his look making her cut off her retort. 

‘Goofball.’ Cee left it at that and went back to getting their coffee. ‘Pull down the table will you?’

‘Sorry?’ 

‘The table folds up against the wall, gets it out of the way when I’m not using it.’ Cee told him and he found the latch to release it and pull it down. Shifting along the bench he made room for her and soon she was beside him eating breakfast while he worked on his coffee. ‘Been up to any major trouble since last time?’

‘Not too much. Got framed for assassinating the President on Gallifrey.’

‘Oh, is that all!’ Cee laughed. ‘Worst I did was trespass on some diplomatic gardens on a planet called Silver Satellite. Never did figure out why they called their planet that. They got a bit testy, wanted to electrocute me.’

‘That’s harsh. Did you tread on a flower bed too?’ The Doctor asked, lifting an eyebrow. 

‘No, but I think I broke a sprinkler head.’ Cee started to chuckle with the Doctor. For the next few hours they traded stories of what they’d been up to since they had parted company. Eventually, they wound up back on the bed, sitting there together with Cee resting against the Doctor. ‘Doctor?’

‘Yes, Cee?’

‘Were you at all serious about shopping for a new camper?’

‘No! Of course not!’ The Doctor said. ‘I’m only a visitor. It’s your home.’

‘Oh, okay.’ Cee went quiet again before speaking again. ‘It’s not really a home yet. More like a place holder. I’m hoping I’ll be able to make it more permanent in the future.’

‘Does this portal not go through time as well?’

‘It does. But it’s not precise enough.’ Cee looked out the window into the woods. ‘I can’t risk bumping into myself. I learned that from you. Remember?’

‘Oh. Is that where we are?’ 

‘Yeah.’ Cee didn’t elaborate on the point. He knew already. ‘I’m building a history here. Then afterwards, I’ll pick it back up I hope. Worst case, I’ve got a source for cash here. That alone works out for me.’

‘Cash. Right.’ The Doctor nodded. ‘You would need it, wouldn’t you?’

‘Just a bit.’ Cee grinned. ‘Not like I’ve got my house to travel round in like some Time Lord I know.’ The Doctor’s hand tightened on her shoulder. ‘Sorry.’ She rubbed a hand on his chest apologetically. ‘Still raw isn’t it? Even after the years have gone by?’

‘I doubt the pain will ever truly go away, Cee.’ He admitted softly. ‘If there were ever a way for you to travel safely with me, I would not hesitate to have you with me on the TARDIS.’ He pressed his lips against her forehead. 

Somehow, the Doctor managed to curl up on the bed with Cee in a semi-comfortable position and waited for her to fall asleep. For some time he lay there gazing out the small window. She was content for the moment but he felt off for some reason and he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Waiting until she was deep asleep, he then got up and went outside, jamming his hat on his head but just going with his jacket, leaving his scarf hanging inside the camper. Standing beside the TARDIS, he rested a hand on the door and could feel it rumbling slightly. It didn’t like to be this close to the rift when it didn’t need a recharge but it didn’t protest. It wasn’t that he felt. There was something else.

He strolled around the clearing, searching for the answer. To one side of the camper, Cee had set up a campfire and a chair, encircled by stones. He found the car behind the camper. Other than that, there was little else to indicate any sort of occupation. Minimalist. That would be her in a nutshell, he thought to himself. Locating the portal, the Doctor stood on it and could feel the hair on the back of his hand stand up, reacting to the time vortex that he travelled in all the time. 

Stepping away from the portal his foot touched the spot where Cee had ground in the ashes of the man who’d threatened her. Having shared the link earlier with her and now connecting to the spot where the man had died closed the loop on the feeling he was experiencing. Kneeling on the ground, he touched the ground and squinted in concentration. In the moonlight, he sighed. It was a mix of disappointment and understanding. Hadn’t he faced similar choices himself in the past. The Doctor took off his hat and spared a brief thought for the deceased man. The Doctor knew he’d have to talk to her in the morning about it. 

The next morning, the Doctor was up well before her and made coffee for the two of them. It was the aroma of the brewing coffee that woke her up. Rubbing her eyes, she swung her feet out of the bed and slipped her shoes on. ‘Did you sleep at all?’

‘No.’ The Doctor said, pouring them each a mug of coffee. ‘Wasn’t really tired.’

‘Sorry about the size of the bed. I really didn’t think about you visiting when I got it.’

‘Stop worrying about that, Cee.’ His hand took hers and squeezed it reassuringly. ‘I’m a visitor.’

‘No, you’re not. You’re more than that and I didn’t think of that when I set this place up. I won’t make that mistake again.’ Cee told him, resting against him as they finished their coffee. ‘Something’s bugging you. I can feel it. You’re tense.’

‘You know me too well.’

‘Then talk.’ Cee told him, sitting back up. Instead, he got up and got them each a fresh cup of coffee. 

He sat back down beside her before he spoke again. ‘I found some ash. What happened?’

Cee tensed up herself. ‘Still some there huh? Thought it would have gone by now.’

‘It’s only a trace, sensed it more than saw it. Linked to some emotions I caught from you last night. Remember, we’re bonded. When we link like that there’s nothing we hide from one another.’

‘Well, then you don’t need to ask.’ Cee tried to get up but he stopped her.

‘You tell me to talk and I talk. Well now I’m telling you to talk, so talk.’

‘Fuck off.’ It was her turn to tense up. ‘You’re not my keeper. You’re not here all the time. I had a problem and I took care of it.’

‘What happened?’ The Doctor asked a second time. 

‘It was a scavenger. I gave him the chance to leave he didn’t. He had a gun. I didn’t. I opened the rift and he was caught in it.’ Cee’s tone was cold and impersonal. The Doctor sighed. ‘What?’ 

‘Was it the only way?’

‘I don’t carry guns around with me. They always cause more trouble than I need. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to protect myself.’

‘I don’t like it but I know it’s what you need to do to survive. I’m no innocent myself.’ The Doctor tried to reassure her but she remained tense. 

‘No shit.’ Cee said.

‘Language.’ The Doctor chided her and really wasn’t surprised at her almost violent reaction. Trapped between him and the table, she lashed out with a loud smack on his chest. When his only reaction was to grunt, she punched him harder in the arm a number of times. He would have a bruise there for a short time but that was it. The Doctor let her carry on until she had exhausted her emotions. When she did stop, he slipped his arm around her and hugged her close against him. ‘Better?’ Cee’s only response was a soft noise in her throat. ‘Don’t bottle it up, Cee. Not with me.’

‘It’s hard not too.’ Cee said. ‘I’d rather our time together isn’t about arguing or crap.’

‘Our time together will be precious no matter what we do.’ The Doctor reassured Cee. ‘Ready to talk about it properly?’

‘I didn’t want to hurt him.’ She finally opened up to him. ‘He had scavenged gold from the spot for some time before I got there but I’m here now.. I told him I was claiming the spot going forward. He just wouldn’t let it go. Then he pulled the gun. I don’t want to start carrying weapons.’

‘Learn some self-defense moves.’ The Doctor suggested. 

‘I suppose. Once I can find a place to settle a bit and do that.’

‘You will, Cee. You will. You’re working to that.’ With that, he kissed her forehead and the subject was closed.


	7. SANCTUARY FOUND

Cee stood at the portal entrance, exploring with her mind the paths. It was winter now at the campsite (she still couldn’t bring herself to call it home) and she wanted to escape the snow and wind. She wanted somewhere warm and uninhabited. So far on her journeys, Cee had found some places which were close but there was always something that didn’t make the location an ideal one for her. 

‘Come on, come on.. what have you got for me today?’ Cee muttered aloud as she searched. ‘Oh, that looks interesting… no, maybe not.’ The first exit was warm but she could sense a tang in it which from her experience usually meant acid in the air. Further looking and she found another exit that felt better. Sunny but a damp feel to it. It had rained there, she thought, but most places had some rain. She could deal with that. ‘We’ll give it a go then.’ Settling her backpack on her shoulders, Cee stepped through the rift. 

A moment later, the rift flared open at the exit and she stepped out. It had rained recently and the grass was wet. There weren’t any large trees, just short ones that were more shrubs than anything. With the rift closed Cee could hear the soft buzzing of small flying creatures in the air. Walking through the grass, Cee explored the area immediately around the rift exit and was pleased to find a gentle river flowing nearby. Kneeling by the flowing water she dipped her hand into it and lifted some to smell it and then taste it with the tip of her tongue. That was fine, she thought. She noticed the river grass drifting in the water and then spotted the small minnow-like fish darting about. Dipping her hand in, she laughed softly at the feel of the fish trying to nibble her fingers. 

With a sigh, Cee stood up and looked across to the other side of the river and spotted a never-ending field of taller grass. Turning around she noticed the hill a short distance away and opted to walk along the riverbank towards it. Not until she got closer did she realize that there was a cave mouth not far up from ground level. But how could she get up to it? Approaching the rock face, she ran her hand over the wall and gazed up to the cave mouth. Then she spotted one part of the rock jutting out slightly. It was rough but she could make it up. There was just wide enough of a lip to make it an easy path to the cave and then the sun came out, washing over the rocks and her to warm them. Enough light made it into the cave for Cee to see a large space that had more than enough headroom for her to stand. 

‘This holds out some hope,’ Cee’s voice echoed in the cave. ‘Will take some work though.’ Nodding to herself, she slipped her backpack off and rested it on the cave floor. Standing on the ledge just outside, Cee smiled at the feeling of the sun on her face. ‘Yeah, this is worth it.’

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first part of a multi-part series regarding the story of Ciaran Boyd and her travels on her own as well as her ongoing relationship with the Doctor through the years. 
> 
> Not all episodes will include the Doctor but there will be many and not just the Fourth and Twelfth Doctors. 
> 
> Tags will be updated as the story grows.


End file.
